Hunter Carbon Project

The Hunter Carbon Project is a soil carbon sequestration project located near the locality of Cobbora in the Central West region of New South Wales. Situated approximately 50 kilometers east of Dubbo and 40 kilometers north of Wellington, the project sits within the Orana region, an area predominantly known for mixed farming, sheep and cattle grazing, and cereal cropping. The project was registered in August 2021 and covers a project area of roughly 395 hectares, following a variation in February 2022 that removed specific land parcels from the original design.

The project operates under the 2018 Soil Carbon methodology (Measurement of Soil Carbon Sequestration in Agricultural Systems). This method requires landholders to implement new or materially different management activities, such as altering the stocking rate, duration, or intensity of grazing, to increase the amount of organic carbon stored in the soil. Unlike model-based methods, this approach generates Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) based on physical soil sampling that measures the actual increase in carbon stocks over time compared to a baseline.

Environmental conditions in this part of the Central West Slopes typically feature a semi-arid to temperate climate with an annual rainfall of approximately 600mm. The landscape is characterized by red and yellow duplex soils (Chromosols) and red earths, which are responsive to improved pasture management but can be susceptible to erosion if over-grazed. Although the project bears the name "Hunter," it is geographically located west of the Great Dividing Range, outside the traditional Hunter Valley region, suggesting the name likely refers to the landholder or a specific property title rather than the district.