7Soil carbon projects

7  Soil carbon projects

 (1) For paragraph 106(1)(a) of the Act, this determination applies to a sequestration offsets project that:

 (a) involves the sequestration of carbon in soil in an agricultural system through carrying out one or more eligible management activities; and

 (b) can reasonably be expected to result in eligible carbon abatement; and

 (c) has its project area within Australia, excluding the external territories.

 (2) For this determination, a management activity is an eligible management activity if it:

 (a) involves one of the following land management activities:

 (i) applying nutrients to the land in the form of a synthetic or non-synthetic fertiliser to address a material deficiency;

Note:  This may include, but is not limited to, use of compost or manure.

 (ii) applying lime or other ameliorants to remediate acid soils;

 (iii) applying gypsum to manage sodic or magnesic soils;

 (iv) undertaking new irrigation;

 (v) re-establishing or rejuvenating a pasture by seeding or pasture cropping;

 (vi) establishing, and permanently maintaining, a pasture where there was previously no or limited pasture, such as on cropland or bare fallow;

 (vii) altering the stocking rate, duration or intensity of grazing (or any combination of such activities) to promote soil vegetation cover or improve soil health, or both;

 (viii) retaining stubble after a crop is harvested;

 (ix) converting from intensive tillage practices to reduced or no tillage practices;

 (x) modifying landscape or landform features to remediate land;

Note:  This may include, but is not limited to, practices implemented for erosion control, surface water management, drainage/flood control, or alleviating soil compaction. Practices may include controlled traffic farming, deep ripping, water ponding or other means.

 (xi) using mechanical means to add or redistribute soil through the soil profile;

Note:  This may include, but is not limited to, clay delving, clay spreading or inversion tillage.

 (xii) using legume species in cropping or pasture systems;

 (xiii) using a cover crop to promote soil vegetation cover or improve soil health, or both; and

 (b) is an improvement on the land management activities conducted in the agricultural system during the baseline period such that:

 (i) at least one of the land management activities is new or materially different from the land management activities conducted during the baseline period; and

 (ii) more carbon can reasonably be expected to be sequestered in that system as a result of carrying out that land management activity; and