Fysh Carbon Project

Fysh Carbon Project is a soil carbon sequestration project located at Mount Tom near Gladstone in Central Queensland. It was registered in June 2020 by AgriProve Solutions Pty Ltd. Initially registered covering an area of approximately 893 hectares, a project area variation in 2022 removed specific land parcels and adjusted the active project area to a 393-hectare cattle farming operation managed by the Scanlan family. The surrounding Mount Tom region is primarily used for rural agricultural activities, specifically beef cattle grazing. The region experiences a subtropical climate that is highly vulnerable to fluctuating flood and drought conditions. The soils on the property are described as light, fragile, and sandy, making them highly susceptible to erosion.

The project currently operates under the Estimation of Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration using Measurement and Models (2021) methodology, having officially transitioned from the 2018 measurement method in October 2022. Soil carbon sequestration projects involve establishing baseline carbon levels and introducing new, eligible agricultural management activities to build soil organic carbon over time. Standard requirements under this method include undertaking activities like rejuvenating pasture by seeding or cropping, and conducting regular physical soil sampling combined with digital models to accurately verify the amount of carbon being sequestered.

To build soil carbon, the Fysh Carbon Project has adopted a land management strategy that incorporates multi-species pasture cropping sown with a zero-tillage disc drill, paired with planned rotational grazing. Interestingly, this project is a co-funded participant in the Queensland Government's Land Restoration Fund due to its significant environmental co-benefits, which include protecting local waterways such as Baffle Creek and mitigating agricultural run-off into the Great Barrier Reef. In 2023, the operation made history as the first project to generate Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) using AgriProve's digitally enabled soil organic carbon model, successfully generating 3,559 ACCUs within just its first two years.