Bears Lagoon Soil Carbon Project

The Bears Lagoon Soil Carbon Project is a large-scale agricultural land management project located approximately 31km northwest of Moura and 96km west of Biloela in Central Queensland. Registered in May 2024, the project covers a substantial area of 12,261 hectares within the Banana Shire. The region is a hub for beef cattle production, characterized by vast grazing properties often formed from cleared Brigalow scrub.

The project operates under the 2021 Soil Carbon methodology, which rewards landholders for increasing Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) stocks. To achieve this, the proponent, Southwick Pty Ltd, aims to implement changes in land management practices such as altering stocking rates to improve vegetation cover, introducing legume species into pasture systems, and utilizing cover crops. These activities are designed to increase plant biomass and root systems, which in turn sequester more carbon into the soil profile. The project is facilitated by Carbon Link, a prominent Australian soil carbon aggregator known for managing large-scale projects in the grazing sector.

Environmentally, the site is situated in the Brigalow Belt, a region known for its fertile but often heavy clay soils. The terrain likely consists of self-mulching cracking clays (Vertosols) and texture-contrast soils typical of the Dawson Valley. The area experiences a sub-tropical, semi-arid climate with a summer-dominant rainfall averaging around 640mm per year. This climate supports improved pastures such as Buffel grass and Green Panic, which are common in the district and essential for the project's grazing strategies.