Estimating soil organic carbon sequestration using measurement and models method

This method credits ACCUs for increases in soil carbon from one or more new, or materially different, management activities.

Activities under this method include:

• applying nutrients to the land through fertiliser
• applying lime to remediate acid soils
• applying gypsum to remediate sodic or magnesic soils
• undertaking new irrigation
• re-establishing or rejuvenating a pasture by seeding establishing or pasture cropping
• establishing, and permanently maintaining, a pasture where there’s previously no or limited pasture
• altering the stocking rate, duration or intensity of grazing
• retaining stubble after a crop is harvested
• converting from intensive tillage practices to reduced or no tillage practices
• modifying landscape or landform features to remediate land
• using mechanical methods to add or redistribute soil
• using legume species in a cropping or pasture system
• using a cover crop to promote soil vegetation cover or improve soil health or both.

Undertaking one or more eligible activities may not result in soil carbon increases. Crediting depends on demonstrating an increase in soil carbon above the baseline level.

Projects under this method are subject to permanence obligations.

You must submit a land management strategy when:

• registering your project
• adding new areas to a project
• transferring to the 2021 soil carbon method from another soil carbon method.

You must engage with an independent soil sampling technician. The technician is responsible for extracting and preparing any soil samples.

Make sure your soil sampling technician understands the requirements in our sampling guidance for measurement-based soil carbon methods. Improper sampling can impact ACCU crediting.

For reporting purposes, the technician needs to complete and sign our written statement document. 

You must notify us of:

• sampling locations - these must be provided to us before each sampling round
• events that change the management activities and to your land management strategy - you must notify us within 60 days of becoming aware of the change
• project area activities conflicting with section 11 or 12 of the method - you must notify us within 60 days of becoming aware of the change.

25 years.

Net abatement is calculated by measuring change in the soil organic carbon content of your CEA and comparing it to the baseline. It excludes increases in project emissions.

Baseline soil sampling estimates the soil carbon levels at the beginning of your project. You then conduct additional sampling rounds every 1-5 years.

Project emissions occur when certain project management activities that build soil carbon – such as livestock, tillage, synthetic fertiliser or lime application – create emissions.

Soil carbon stocks must be estimated using specified soil sampling methods or using the specified hybrid approach that combines soil carbon model estimates with soil sampling.

Samples must be measured for soil carbon content using specified laboratory techniques or calibrated in-field sensors.

Additionally, 4 discounts apply to soil carbon projects:

• ‘specified probably of exceedance’
• temporarily withheld credits from the first reporting period
• risk of reversal buffer
• permanence obligations.

You can learn more about discounts in the understanding your soil carbon project - simple method guide. 

These discounts reduce the risk of overestimating stored carbon and the overcrediting of ACCUs. The ongoing discounts decrease as the certainty of soil carbon estimates increases.

You must monitor details of the:

• project livestock
• tillage
• harvested product
• removed crop residues.

You must also monitor all inputs of:

• fertiliser
• biochar
• lime
• electricity
• fuel.

You must keep records of:

• land management activities
• the person involved in soil sampling
• the project’s land management strategies.

You can nominate the intervals of your reporting periods. These can be from 6 months to 5 years.

After submitting an application, you need to conduct baseline soil sampling within the first reporting period or within 18 months of land being added to an existing project area.

Your report must include:

• written statements from an independent soil sampling technician
• calculations of the net carbon abatement achieved
• progress of your project
• specific requirements per section 23 of the method.

We provide you with an audit schedule when your project's declared.

You must provide audit reports according to this schedule.

We schedule at least 3 audits, and additional audits can be triggered.

For more information on audit requirements, you can refer to our audit information.