Jones Carbon Project 3

Jones Carbon Project 3 is a soil carbon sequestration initiative located in the renowned Arcadia Valley region of Central Queensland, approximately 75km northeast of Injune and south of Rolleston. Registered in February 2023, the project covers a concise area of 213.52 hectares. The project operates within the Central Highlands Regional Council area, a district heavily reliant on beef cattle grazing and broadacre cropping.

The project utilizes 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 sequestering carbon in agricultural soils. To achieve this, the project activities involve altering stocking rates, duration, or intensity of grazing. By optimizing grazing pressure, often through time-controlled or rotational grazing, the project aims to increase ground cover, reduce soil erosion, and stimulate deeper root growth, which in turn drives carbon storage in the soil profile.

Environmentally, the Arcadia Valley is situated in the Brigalow Belt bioregion, known for its highly fertile cracking clay soils (often grey or brown vertosols) which have high potential for carbon retention compared to sandier coastal soils. The region typically experiences a sub-tropical semi-arid climate with an average annual rainfall of approximately 600-700mm, though this can vary significantly with seasonal cycles.

The project is managed by Agriprove Solutions Pty Ltd, a prominent corporate carbon developer in Australia known for its "soil carbon as a service" model. A noted administrative update occurred in June 2024, where a variation was filed to remove specific areas from the project. This is a standard compliance procedure often used to excise non-eligible land, such as roads, dams, or homesteads, from the crediting area to ensure precise carbon accounting.