SA Hawick Soil Carbon

SA Hawick Soil Carbon is a soil carbon project centered around the 'Hawick' homestead in the Tatiara District of South Australia, approximately 50km north of Bordertown and south of the Ngarkat Conservation Park. Registered in October 2024, the project covers a substantial area of 5,055 hectares. The region acts as a transition zone between the fertile "Good Country" of the Tatiara and the drier Mallee scrublands to the north, supporting mixed farming operations primarily focused on livestock grazing and dryland cropping.

The project operates under the 2021 Soil Carbon methodology, which credits landholders for sequestering carbon in agricultural soils by implementing new or materially different management activities. To achieve this, the project employs a combination of strategies including the application of synthetic or non-synthetic fertilizers to address nutrient deficiencies, the use of cover crops to improve soil health, and mechanical soil modification. In this specific sandy-soil region, mechanical means often refer to clay spreading or delving, a common practice used to overcome non-wetting sands and improve water retention.

Environmentally, the site experiences a semi-arid to Mediterranean climate with annual rainfall estimated between 350mm and 450mm. The soil profile typically consists of sandy loams and dune-swale systems that require careful management to maintain cover and fertility. A notable administrative update occurred in August 2025, when the project underwent a variation to remove specific areas from the registered boundary, refining the crediting footprint. The project is managed by Regenco Projects Pty Ltd, a proponent known for using a shared ownership model to help pastoralists enter the carbon market.