Swartz Carbon Project 8

Swartz Carbon Project 8 is a soil carbon sequestration project located in the Fitzroy Basin of Central Queensland, approximately 45km northwest of Rockhampton. Registered on March 1, 2022, the project currently spans 179.83 hectares following a variation in April 2024 that removed specific areas from the original boundary.

The project operates under the 2021 Soil Carbon methodology, which credits landholders for increasing soil organic carbon (SOC) stocks through changes in land management. Unlike earlier methods that relied solely on physical sampling, this iteration allows for a "hybrid" approach using both physical measurement and approved models to estimate carbon storage over time. To achieve this, the project activities include applying synthetic or non-synthetic fertilizers to address nutrient deficiencies, re-establishing pastures through seeding, and altering grazing intensity or duration to improve soil health and vegetation cover.

The region typically experiences a sub-tropical, semi-arid climate with summer-dominant rainfall averaging between 600mm and 800mm annually. The local landscape is predominantly used for cattle grazing and is characterized by the diverse soil types of the Fitzroy region, which often include fertile cracking clays (Vertosols) and texture-contrast soils (Chromosols) suitable for pasture improvement.

This project appears to be part of a larger aggregation of carbon projects developed by Agriprove, as evidenced by the existence of similarly named projects (e.g., Swartz Carbon Project 1 and 9) registered on the same date. This "stacking" or aggregation strategy is commonly used to manage project scale and auditing baselines effectively across large agricultural properties.