Challoner Park 23 Carbon Project

Challoner Park 23 Carbon Project is a soil carbon sequestration initiative located on the Challoner Park aggregation, approximately 110km west of the border town of Hebel in South West Queensland. Registered in April 2024, the project covers 11,306 hectares.

The project operates under the 2021 Soil Carbon methodology, which awards carbon credits for measurable increases in soil organic carbon stocks. To achieve this, the project involves introducing new land management activities; specifically, this project focuses on applying synthetic or non-synthetic fertilizers to address material nutrient deficiencies in the soil. This practice aims to stimulate plant growth and root biomass, thereby drawing more carbon into the soil profile.

The region surrounding Hebel and the Balonne Shire is a mix of grazing and broadacre cropping. The Challoner Park property itself is characterized by flat to gently sloping plains with predominantly soft red and grey soils. It is situated in a semi-arid climate zone but benefits from beneficial flooding from the Mungallala and Wallum waterways, supporting wheat cropping and livestock (sheep and cattle) grazing.

Notable aspects of the property include its history of exclusion fencing to manage grazing pressure from kangaroos, a factor that often supports ground cover retention, a critical component of soil carbon building. The project proponent, Loam Carbon, is an Australian developer known for specializing in microbial seed coatings and biological soil amendments to enhance carbon sequestration rates in agricultural soils.