Mt Agnes Soil Carbon Project

Mt Agnes Soil Carbon Project is a soil carbon sequestration initiative located approximately 40 kilometers southeast of Walcha, in the Northern Tablelands region of New South Wales. Registered in November 2024, the project covers a substantial area of 1,407 hectares. The property is situated in the rugged, high-country terrain near the edge of the Great Dividing Range, an area traditionally dominated by high-performance grazing operations for beef cattle and fine wool sheep.

The project operates under the 2021 Soil Carbon "Measurement and Models" methodology. This framework allows land managers to earn Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) by increasing the amount of organic carbon stored in their soil. To achieve this, the project must implement new or materially different management activities compared to the historic baseline. Credits are issued based on measured increases in soil carbon stocks over time, adjusted for any emissions generated by the project activities themselves.

Environmentally, the Walcha district is renowned as a high-rainfall zone, often exceeding 800mm annually, which provides favorable conditions for building soil carbon compared to drier inland regions. The local landscape typically features trap rock (metamorphic) and basalt-derived soils, which are generally loamy and responsive to nutrient management. The cool temperate climate and reliable precipitation support dense pasture growth, essential for the sequestration process.

This specific project focuses on addressing nutrient deficiencies to stimulate plant growth and carbon drawdown. The proponent, Paul Anthony Pittman, aims to increase soil carbon by applying synthetic or non-synthetic fertilizers to the land. By correcting material deficiencies in the soil profile, the project intends to boost biomass production, thereby increasing the volume of organic matter returning to the soil and stabilizing carbon levels within the agricultural system.