Lakeland Downs Soil Carbon Project

Lakeland Downs Soil Carbon Project is an agricultural soil carbon project located near Condamine, approximately 33km south of Miles in the Western Downs region of Queensland. It was registered in August 2024 and initially covered an area of 1658.19 hectares. According to extra project notes, the project area underwent a variation in September 2025 where some originally listed areas were removed.

The project operates under the Estimation of Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration using Measurement and Models (2021) methodology. Soil carbon projects of this type involve taking baseline laboratory measurements of soil carbon levels and then implementing new eligible agricultural management activities to draw down atmospheric carbon into the soil over time. For this project, the planned activities include altering the stocking rate, duration, or intensity of grazing, and planting cover crops to promote better soil health and vegetation cover. The agent assisting with the compliance and administration of the project is Carbon Link Operations Pty Ltd.

The surrounding Western Downs and Condamine River floodplain region is highly regarded for its agricultural productivity, primarily utilized for cattle grazing, as well as dryland and irrigated cropping. The local environment typically experiences a semi-arid, summer-dominant climate averaging around 580mm to 630mm of annual rainfall. The soils in this area are predominantly heavy cracking clays, commonly referred to as Grey Vertosols or "black soil plains", which are highly fertile and ideal for the intensive farming operations seen in the district.

The proponent of the project, New Leaf Ag Pty Ltd, is a family-owned food and fibre business operated by fourth-generation farmer Nigel Corish. The company is well known in the area for producing summer and winter crops such as cotton, wheat, barley, chickpeas, and sorghum across thousands of hectares of cultivated land. Their "Lakeland Downs" property has a rich history of agricultural production, including broadacre irrigated cotton farming utilizing water pumped directly from the nearby Condamine River.