Soil Organic Carbon (SOC)

AUS-TDG-LVG-SOC General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

No specific value — see range

Range: 2 to 2.5 %

Optimal Range: 2 to 2.5

Direction: Higher is desirable ↑

Form: OptimalRange

Scoring Curve

Scoring curve unavailable

The scoring engine could not generate a curve for this benchmark context. The primary form is CompositeFramework, but the benchmark data may be missing required fields (e.g., optimal range bounds for an OptimalRange benchmark). This is typically a data quality issue in the benchmark pipeline.

Contributing Benchmarks

CompositeFramework Primary MinimumOnly Guard OptimalRange Guard OptimalRange Guard MinimumOnly Guard Point Guard MinimumOnly Guard OptimalRange Guard CompositeFramework Guard MinimumOnly Guard OptimalRange Guard Point Guard MinimumOnly Guard OptimalRange Guard CompositeFramework Guard MinimumOnly Guard OptimalRange Guard OptimalRange Guard MinimumOnly Guard

Evidence & Context

For temperate grazing systems in moderate rainfall zones (>600mm), SOC levels exceeding 2.0-2.5% (0-10cm) appear indicative of high ecological health.

Metric Definition:

Optimal range of Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) concentration in the 0-10 cm soil layer indicative of high ecological health in Australian Temperate Dry Woodlands & Native Grasslands under sustainable grazing.

Benchmark Definition:

This benchmark represents the optimal range of Soil Organic Carbon concentration in the top 10 cm of soil that indicates high ecological health under sustainable grazing in temperate dry woodlands and native grasslands.

Justification:

Based on multiple studies indicating SOC levels above 2.0-2.5% in moderate rainfall zones correspond to high ecological function.

Sources (1)

Preview of Soil carbon sequestration in rangelands a critical review of the impacts of major management strategies - CSIRO Publishing, accessed August 5, 2025,

Soil carbon sequestration in rangelands a critical review of the impacts of major management strategies - CSIRO Publishing, accessed August 5, 2025, Journal

Managing cattle grazing intensity: effects on soil organic matter and soil nitrogen, accessed July 23, 2025

View Source

Supporting Sources (6)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

(PDF) Soil organic carbon stocks in saline and sodic landscapes

Contextual Support GreyLiterature

(PDF) Soil organic carbon stocks in saline and sodic landscapes

View Source

Grazing management for soil carbon in Australia: A review - ResearchGate, accessed August 5, 2025,

Direct Evidence Journal

Grazing management for soil carbon in Australia: A review - ResearchGate, accessed May 10, 2026

View Source

Preview of HOW TO MEASURE AND INTERPRET RESULTS IN RELATION TO SOIL ORGANIC CARBON - Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC), accessed August 5, 2025,

HOW TO MEASURE AND INTERPRET RESULTS IN RELATION TO SOIL ORGANIC CARBON - Grains Research and Development Corporation (GRDC), accessed August 5, 2025,

Direct Evidence Journal

(PDF) Soil organic carbon stocks in saline and sodic landscapes

View Source

Pasture cropping on Winona - A Soils For Life case study

Contextual Support GreyLiterature

Pasture cropping on Winona - A Soils For Life case study

View Source

Preview of Soil carbon sequestration in rangelands: A critical review of the impacts of major management strategies - ResearchGate, accessed August 5, 2025,

Soil carbon sequestration in rangelands: A critical review of the impacts of major management strategies - ResearchGate, accessed August 5, 2025,

Direct Evidence GreyLiterature

Soil carbon sequestration in rangelands: A critical review of the impacts of major management strategies - ResearchGate, accessed July 23, 2025

View Source

Soil Carbon Snapshot - Agriculture Victoria, accessed August 5, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

Soil Carbon Snapshot - Agriculture Victoria

View Source

Context

Region Australia
Biome Temperate Dry Woodlands & Native Grasslands
Land Use Livestock Grazing & Pasture
Assessment Not Stated
Evidence Type HealthyOperationalRange

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 1
Effective From 3 Jun 2026

Notes

Optimal SOC is context-dependent and varies with climate and soil conditions; this range applies to moderate rainfall temperate grazing systems. AssessmentContext defaulted to 'Not Stated' because the source document did not state one.

Related Benchmarks

Other benchmarks in the AUS-TDG-LVG-SOC family.