McNiel Carbon Project

McNiel Carbon Project is a soil carbon project located roughly 5km south-east of Murwillumbah in the Tweed region of Northern NSW. It was registered in April 2021 and covers 49.81 ha.

Soil carbon projects utilizing the Estimation of Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration using Measurement and Models methodology involve altering agricultural management practices to increase the carbon stored in the soil. The 2021 method allows for the estimation of soil organic carbon using both direct physical soil sampling and modelled approaches. This specific project relies on altering the stocking rate, duration, or intensity of livestock grazing to promote soil vegetation cover and improve overall soil health.

The Tweed area is characterised by a favourable subtropical climate and very high rainfall, generally receiving between 1200mm and 1800mm annually. The agricultural land use in the region is dominated by beef cattle grazing, dairy farming, and sugarcane. The local environment boasts highly fertile soils originating from ancient volcanic activity, primarily deep red krasnozem (basalt) and alluvial clays.

An interesting note about this project is that in October 2023, it underwent a variation to change its method from the older 2018 Measurement of Soil Carbon Sequestration in Agricultural Systems methodology to the updated 2021 methodology. This update allowed the proponent, Agriprove, to incorporate modelled data for carbon estimation rather than relying strictly on physical measurements.