Whitlam Carbon Project 7

Whitlam Carbon Project 7 is a soil organic carbon sequestration project located in the Upper South East region of South Australia, approximately 15km southeast of the town of Tintinara. Registered in April 2022, the project covers a land area of roughly 189 hectares. The surrounding region is predominantly utilized for mixed farming, with a strong focus on grazing livestock on perennial pastures, such as lucerne, as well as dryland cropping.

The project operates under the Estimation of Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration using Measurement and Models Methodology Determination 2021. This methodology rewards landholders for increasing the amount of carbon stored in their soil, a process that improves soil health while generating Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs). To achieve this, the project proponent, Agriprove Solutions, has implemented a suite of new land management activities designed to boost carbon levels. These include correcting material nutrient deficiencies through the application of synthetic or non-synthetic fertilizers, retaining stubble to protect the soil surface, and converting from intensive tillage to reduced or no-tillage practices.

Environmentally, the Tintinara region is characterized by a semi-arid to Mediterranean climate with an average annual rainfall between 425mm and 475mm. The local landscape typically consists of sandplains and low dunes. The soils are often deep siliceous sands or sandy loams over clay and limestone (calcrete). These sandy soils are naturally low in fertility and prone to issues such as water repellence and wind erosion, which aligns with the project's focus on nutrient management and stubble retention to build soil structure and resilience.