Whitlam Carbon Project 6

Whitlam Carbon Project 6 is a soil carbon sequestration project located approximately 15km west of Coonalpyn in the Upper South East region of South Australia. Registered on April 2, 2022, the project covers 176.41 hectares of agricultural land within the Coorong District Council area. The proponent, Agriprove Solutions Pty Ltd, is a prominent developer in the Australian soil carbon sector, known for managing large aggregations of projects using advanced measurement technology.

The project operates under the "Estimation of Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration using Measurement and Models" (2021) methodology. This framework allows project developers to generate Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) by demonstrating increases in soil organic carbon stocks over time. Unlike older methods that relied solely on expensive physical sampling, the 2021 determination permits the use of computer models validated by physical measurement to lower the cost of monitoring. The sequential naming of the project ("Project 6") strongly suggests the landholder has divided a larger property into multiple project areas to manage baselining logistics and risk profiles across the farm.

The Coonalpyn region is characterized by a semi-arid to Mediterranean climate with an average annual rainfall of approximately 440mm, predominantly falling in winter. The landscape, part of the Coonalpyn Land System, is typically flat to gently undulating. The soils in this area are generally sandy texture-contrast soils, often described as "sand over clay" or calcareous loams. These soils can be productive but are naturally low in organic matter and prone to issues like non-wetting sands (hydrophobicity).

To achieve carbon sequestration, the project employs specific land management activities designed to build soil health. These include applying synthetic or non-synthetic fertilizers to address material nutrient deficiencies, vital in sandy soils where nutrient leaching is common. Additionally, the project has converted from intensive tillage to reduced or no-tillage practices and implemented stubble retention. These practices minimize soil disturbance and maintain ground cover, preventing carbon oxidation and protecting the light sandy topsoil from wind erosion common in the Upper South East.