Kerin Carbon Project

The Kerin Carbon Project is a soil carbon sequestration initiative located near the town of Kumbia, approximately 30 kilometers south-west of Kingaroy in the South Burnett region of Queensland. Registered in November 2022, the project encompasses roughly 335 hectares of agricultural land. The wider South Burnett region is a significant mixed-farming area, well-regarded for its combination of cattle grazing and cropping, including the production of peanuts, maize, and navy beans.

This project operates under the 2021 Soil Carbon methodology, a rigorous framework that generates Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) based on measured increases in soil organic carbon stocks. Unlike tree-planting projects that often rely on modeled growth, this method requires the proponent to physically sample the soil to establish a baseline. They must then implement new management activities, in this case, altering grazing intensity and re-establishing pastures, to encourage carbon sequestration. Credits are issued only after subsequent sampling rounds prove a physical increase in soil carbon levels.

Environmentally, the Kumbia district benefits from a sub-tropical climate with an average annual rainfall of approximately 700mm to 800mm, which is summer-dominant. The area is geologically distinct for its fertile "Red Earths" (Ferrosols), which are deep, well-drained volcanic soils ideal for pasture growth, though the landscape also contains areas of cracking clay soils (Vertosols). The project aims to leverage these favorable conditions by maintaining permanent pasture and optimizing stocking rates to boost soil vegetation cover and, consequently, soil health.