Soil Organic Carbon (SOC)

AUS-TCF-AGR-SOC General Low confidence

Benchmark Value

1.16 %

Direction: Higher is desirable ↑

Form: Point

Scoring Curve

This curve shows how a field measurement for this indicator would score across all available benchmark forms in this context.

Evidence & Context

Benchmarks from agricultural districts in South Australia, while requiring careful consideration for biome-specific relevance, indicate mean SOC concentrations of 1.16% for cropping and 1.14% for pasture in the Western Eyre Peninsula.

Metric Definition:

Mean Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) concentration in cropping land use within the Temperate Broadleaf & Mixed Forests biome.

Benchmark Definition:

Mean Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) concentration of 1.16% in cropping land use in agricultural districts of South Australia, with caution advised for biome-specific relevance to Temperate Coastal Forests & Woodlands.

Justification:

Represents SOC levels in cropping agricultural land within the biome.

Sources (1)

cdn.environment.sa.gov.au Journal

cdn.environment.sa.gov.au

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Supporting Sources (6)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Assessment of soil carbon stores at the farm scale in Tasmania, Australia - IUSS.org

Direct Evidence Journal

Assessment of soil carbon stores at the farm scale in Tasmania, Australia - IUSS.org

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Carbon stocks in Tasmanian soils - ResearchGate

Contextual Support Journal

Carbon stocks in Tasmanian soils - ResearchGate

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Land use and management influences on surface soil organic carbon in Tasmania

Direct Evidence

Land use and management influences on surface soil organic carbon in Tasmania

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ON THE FARM - THE GOOD DIRT - Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority

Direct Evidence

ON THE FARM - THE GOOD DIRT - Goulburn Broken Catchment Management Authority

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Preview of Soil health indicators for monitoring forest ecological restoration: a critical review | Request PDF - ResearchGate, accessed on June 7, 2025,

Soil health indicators for monitoring forest ecological restoration: a critical review | Request PDF - ResearchGate, accessed on June 7, 2025,

Direct Evidence

Soil health indicators for monitoring forest ecological restoration: a critical review | Request PDF - ResearchGate, accessed May 16, 2025

View Source

Preview of Soil health: the foundation of sustainable agriculture - 2001 workshop proceedings - NSW Department of Primary Industries, accessed July 25, 2025,

Soil health: the foundation of sustainable agriculture - 2001 workshop proceedings - NSW Department of Primary Industries, accessed July 25, 2025,

Direct Evidence Journal

Pasture health kit - Making More From Sheep, accessed August 9, 2025

View Source

Context

Region Australia
Biome Temperate Coastal Forests & Woodlands
Land Use Agricultural Crop Production
Assessment Agricultural Biodiversity Target
Evidence Type TargetCondition

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 1
Effective From 19 Mar 2026

Notes

No upper detrimental threshold — higher values are always better up to natural saturation. Requires careful consideration for biome-specific relevance.

Related Benchmarks

Other benchmarks in the AUS-TCF-AGR-SOC family.