McCay Carbon Project

The McCay Carbon Project is a soil carbon sequestration project located near Conondale, approximately 50km inland from the Sunshine Coast in Queensland. The project was registered in July 2020 and covers a relatively focused area of roughly 65 hectares.

The project operates under the 2018 Soil Carbon Methodology, which rewards landholders for increasing soil organic carbon levels through changes in land management. Specifically, the McCay project aims to build soil carbon by re-establishing or rejuvenating pastures through seeding and altering the stocking rate, duration, and intensity of grazing. This approach typically involves high-density, short-duration grazing to stimulate plant growth and root depth, thereby sequestering more carbon in the soil profile.

The region is situated in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland, an area characterized by a subtropical climate and generally high rainfall, often exceeding 1,000mm annually. The local landscape is dominated by grazing and dairy farming, supported by fertile soils that range from alluvial clays in the valleys to volcanic ferrosols in the surrounding ranges. The project is managed by AgriProve Solutions, a prominent developer in the Australian soil carbon sector known for utilizing digital soil mapping and testing to verify carbon credits.