Severn Park Soil Carbon Project

The Severn Park Soil Carbon Project is a soil carbon sequestration initiative located approximately 15 kilometers southeast of Berridale and 35 kilometers southwest of Cooma in the Monaro region of New South Wales. Registered in June 2024, the project spans a substantial area of 1,748 hectares. The Monaro High Country is a distinct agricultural region traditionally dominated by Merino wool and beef cattle grazing. The area is situated on a plateau that experiences a "rain shadow" effect, resulting in a semi-arid to sub-humid climate with cold winters and average annual rainfall often ranging between 500mm and 600mm. The soils in this specific location are a complex mix, often characterized by fragile granitic origins with sandy topsoils, interspersed with areas of more fertile basalt-derived clays.

This project operates under the 2021 Soil Carbon methodology, which incentivizes landholders to adopt new management activities that increase Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) stocks. Unlike purely modeled methods, this protocol requires a hybrid approach involving physical soil core sampling and advanced modeling to quantify carbon abatement. The specific activities listed for this project include altering stocking rates and grazing intensity to improve vegetation cover. This aligns with "Holistic Management" grazing principles, where livestock are moved frequently to mimic natural herd migrations, allowing pastures time to recover and root systems to deepen, thereby sequestering more carbon.

A significant aspect of this project is its proponent, Charles Massy. Massy is a renowned figure in the regenerative agriculture movement and the author of the influential book Call of the Reed Warbler. Severn Park is his family property, where he famously transitioned from industrial farming methods to regenerative grazing following severe droughts in the 1980s. This project serves as a formalization of those long-term regenerative practices under the Australian Carbon Credit Unit (ACCU) scheme. The project is being developed in partnership with Carbon Link Operations Pty Ltd, a major aggregator and service provider specializing in soil carbon measurement and technology.