Messner Carbon Project 5

Messner Carbon Project 5 is a soil carbon sequestration project located in the eastern Wheatbelt region of Western Australia, approximately 45 kilometers northeast of Mukinbudin and roughly 60 kilometers north of Merredin. Registered in June 2022, the project covers a substantial area of 1,195 hectares near the locality of Warralakin. The project is part of a larger aggregation of carbon projects in the Shire of Westonia managed by the proponent, Agriprove Solutions, which specializes in soil carbon development.

The region is characterized by a semi-arid Mediterranean climate with low annual rainfall, typically averaging around 300mm, most of which falls during the cool winter months. The landscape supports broadacre cropping and sheep grazing, the dominant land uses in this part of the Wheatbelt. Soils in the area are generally described as sandy loams and red earths, often found on undulating plains interspersed with granite outcrops. These soils, while productive under careful management, historically have low organic carbon levels, making them suitable candidates for sequestration projects.

Operating under the 2021 Soil Carbon methodology (Estimation of Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration using Measurement and Models), the project aims to build soil carbon stocks through specific management changes. For Messner Carbon Project 5, the primary activity involves applying synthetic or non-synthetic fertilizers to address material soil deficiencies. By optimizing nutrient levels, the project seeks to increase plant growth and root biomass, which in turn draws more carbon from the atmosphere into the soil. As with all soil carbon projects, the proponent must establish a baseline of soil carbon through physical sampling and is required to maintain the stored carbon for a permanence period of 25 years.