ASM-Toongi Soil Carbon Project

The ASM-Toongi Soil Carbon Project is a soil carbon sequestration project located in the locality of Toongi, approximately 25km south of the major regional centre of Dubbo, New South Wales. Registered in March 2024, the project covers a significant area of 3,268 hectares. The site is situated within the Central West Slopes and Plains region, an area traditionally utilized for mixed farming operations including sheep and cattle grazing as well as cereal cropping. The project area specifically surrounds the "Dubbo Project," a large-scale rare earths and critical minerals development owned by the proponent, Australian Strategic Materials (ASM).

The project operates under the 2021 Soil Carbon methodology, which credits measured increases in soil organic carbon stocks over time. To achieve this, the project proponent, through its subsidiary Toongi Pastoral Company, has implemented land management activities designed to boost soil health and carbon retention. A primary activity identified for this project is the application of gypsum to remediate sodic or magnesic soils. Sodic soils are common in this region and are characterized by poor structure and hard-setting surfaces that limit plant growth; applying gypsum improves soil structure, water infiltration, and vegetation biomass, which in turn drives carbon sequestration.

Environmentally, the Toongi region sits in a temperate transitional zone with an average annual rainfall of approximately 600mm to 800mm. The landscape typically features red-brown earths (Chromosols) and texture-contrast soils (Dermosols), which can often exhibit the sodic constraints the project aims to address. Beyond the technical carbon farming activities, the project is part of a broader "mine-to-farm" integration strategy. ASM manages the agricultural land as a buffer around its mining operations, utilizing sustainable beef production and biodiversity offsets, including habitat protection for the Pink-Tailed Worm-Lizard, to work towards a net-zero emissions target for the mining facility.