Messner Carbon Project 21

Messner Carbon Project 21 is a soil organic carbon sequestration project located in the Shire of Westonia, approximately 60km northeast of the regional hub of Merredin in Western Australia. Registered on August 5, 2024, the project covers a land area of roughly 308 hectares. The project is situated in the state's eastern Wheatbelt region, an area predominantly utilized for broadacre dryland cropping (wheat, canola, barley) and sheep grazing.

The project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Estimation of Soil Organic Carbon Sequestration using Measurement and Models) Methodology Determination 2021. This high-integrity methodology rewards landholders for increasing soil carbon stocks through changes in land management. Specifically, this project aims to sequester carbon by applying synthetic or non-synthetic fertilisers to address material nutrient deficiencies in the soil, thereby boosting plant growth and organic matter returns to the earth.

Environmentally, the Westonia region is characterized by a semi-arid Mediterranean climate with low annual rainfall, typically averaging between 300mm and 330mm. The landscape features ancient granitic soils, often consisting of sandy loams on uplands and heavier clay soils in the valleys, which can be prone to salinity. The project appears to be part of a larger engagement by the landholder, following the earlier registration of "Messner Carbon Project 1" (ERF175414) in 2022. This staged approach is typical for the proponent, Agriprove, who facilitates "soil carbon as a service" to help farmers integrate carbon farming into existing agricultural operations.