Whitlam Carbon Project 10

Whitlam Carbon Project 10 is a soil carbon sequestration project located in the Upper South East region of South Australia, approximately 35 kilometers east of Keith and 45 kilometers north of Bordertown. Registered in April 2022, the project covers a relatively focused area of 161.55 hectares within the Coorong and Tatiara districts. The region is predominantly characterized by mixed farming operations, where land use typically alternates between dryland cropping and livestock grazing, primarily sheep and cattle.

The project operates under the 2021 Soil Carbon methodology (Estimation of Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration using Measurement and Models). This framework allows landholders to earn Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) by increasing the amount of carbon stored in their soil. To achieve this, the project has committed to specific land management activities designed to improve soil health and retention. These activities include applying synthetic or non-synthetic fertilizers to address nutrient deficiencies, retaining stubble after harvest to protect topsoil, and transitioning from intensive tillage to reduced or no-tillage practices to minimize soil disturbance.

Environmentally, the site sits within a semi-arid to Mediterranean climate zone, receiving an average annual rainfall of approximately 450mm to 500mm. The landscape in this part of the Upper South East typically features sandy loam topsoils over clay subsoils (duplex soils) or calcareous soils, which are common in the "Mallee" country. These soil types are generally responsive to the regenerative practices proposed, particularly the addition of nutrients and the retention of biomass, which help combat the natural sandy structure's tendency to lose organic matter.