Dataset
NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water
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Soil carbon sequestration potential with enhanced vegetation cover over NSW

Digital soil maps of soil organic carbon (SOC) sequestration potential resulting from hypothetical increases in long-term vegetation cover are presented at 100-m resolution across NSW. This increase could be achieved by strategies such as revegetation, grazing management or crop residue management. By applying a 10% relative increase in vegetation cover, a mean state-wide potential increase of 5.4 t/ha over the 0-30 cm depth interval was modelled. Assuming a 20-year period of re-equilibration, this equates to an average SOC increase of 0.27 t/ha/yr. Maps and data are also derived using a 10% absolute increase in vegetation cover and a maximum potential increase in vegetation cover, being that of geographically equivalent nature reserves. The outputs can be used to identify locations of highest sequestration potential and thereby help prioritise areas and inform decisions on sequestration programs. They can provide approximate estimates of equivalent CO2 emissions avoided within the soil from these vegetation cover increases. The results could encourage formal incorporation of soil carbon sequestration in programs under Australia’s Emission Reduction Fund. The work was undertaken as part of the NSW Government's Primary Industries Productivity and Abatement Program (PIPAP). Methods and results are fully reported in Gray et al. (2021) as provided here.

Data and Resources

Metadata Summary What is metadata?

Field Value
Language English
Edition version 1
Purpose Identify priority areas for soil carbon sequestration programs across NSW
Frequency of change Not planned
Keywords SOIL,CLIMATE-AND-WEATHER-Climate-change,VEGETATION,LAND-Cover
Field of Research (optional) Carbon Sequestration Science
Metadata Date 2021-11-16
Date of Asset Creation 2021-06-30
License Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
Vector representation
Record 1
Object type
Surface
Object count
Geospatial Topic Geoscientific information
Extent

Dataset extent
Temporal Coverage From 2008-01-03 - 2016-12-31
Datum GDA94 Geographic (Lat\Long)
Legal Disclaimer Read
Attribution NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water asserts the right to be attributed as author of the original material in the following manner: "© State Government of NSW and NSW Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water 2024"
Groups Natural Capital Accounting