Nap Nap Station Landscape Project

Nap Nap Station Landscape Project is a soil carbon sequestration project located at Nap Nap Station, approximately 70km west of Hay and 15km west of Maude in the Riverina region of New South Wales. Registered on October 1, 2021, the project covers a massive area of 30,094 hectares, which encompasses the entirety of the historic Nap Nap Station. The property sits on the Lower Murrumbidgee floodplain and is utilized for mixed farming, specifically Merino sheep wool production, Angus cattle breeding, and irrigated cropping.

The project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Measurement of Soil Carbon Sequestration in Agricultural Systems) Methodology Determination 2018. This methodology requires the project proponent to establish a baseline of soil organic carbon levels through physical sampling and then implement a new or materially different land management activity to sequester additional carbon. In this specific case, the project activity involves installing new irrigation systems using water sourced from farm water efficiency savings. By converting open channels to pipes and modernizing infrastructure, the station saves water which is then applied to pasture, stimulating plant growth and increasing soil carbon stocks.

The local environment of the Hay Plains is classified as semi-arid, characterized by hot summers and low average rainfall. The terrain features a mix of self-mulching grey clay soils on the floodplains and hard red soils or sandy loams on the higher ground. The vegetation is typical of the Riverina, consisting of saltbush, native grasses, and River Red Gum forests along the Murrumbidgee River frontage. Notably, Nap Nap Station is rich in cultural heritage, situated on Nari Nari country, and contains significant indigenous burial sites and earth ovens.