Soil Organic Carbon (SOC)

AUS-TDG-LVG-SOC General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

No specific value — see range

Direction: Higher is desirable ↑

Form: CompositeFramework

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

There is no scientific evidence to suggest an upper detrimental threshold for SOC accumulated through sustainable grazing practices in these mineral soils.

Metric Definition:

Assessment of upper detrimental threshold for Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) concentration in mineral soils under sustainable grazing in Australian Temperate Dry Woodlands & Native Grasslands.

Benchmark Definition:

This benchmark states that no upper detrimental threshold exists for Soil Organic Carbon in temperate dry woodlands and native grasslands under sustainable grazing.

Justification:

Literature review indicates benefits accrue with increasing SOC up to natural saturation without ecological harm.

Sources (1)

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

Soil Carbon Snapshot - Agriculture Victoria

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 - 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,

Contextual Support Journal

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

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

Context

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

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 1
Effective From 3 Jun 2026

Notes

SOC benefits plateau at natural saturation capacity; no evidence of harm from high SOC in these 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.