Soil Organic Carbon (SOC)

AUS-TSR-CON-SOC General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

2.2 %
Direction: Higher is desirable ↑
Form: MinimumOnly

Scoring Curve

This curve shows how a field measurement for this indicator would score across all available benchmark forms in this context. The scoring engine uses 3 benchmarks together — the OptimalRange form drives the primary score, while 2 guard(s) constrain the result.

Contributing Benchmarks

OptimalRange Primary Point Guard MinimumOnly Guard

Evidence & Context

For Loamy soils (Benchmark 3.2%), the lower critical threshold would be approximately 2.2% SOC.

Metric Definition:

Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) concentration in the 0–10 cm soil layer, expressed as a percentage of soil mass.

Benchmark Definition:

Lower critical threshold for SOC concentration indicating significant degradation when SOC falls below this value in loamy soils.

Justification:

A loss of 30% from the reference benchmark value is a reasonable indicator of significant degradation, associated with land use conversion impacts.

Sources (1)

Preview of Soil carbon distribution and its temperature sensitivity in tropical forests with different forest types
Soil carbon distribution and its temperature sensitivity in tropical forests with different forest types Journal

Soil carbon distribution and its temperature sensitivity in tropical forests with different forest types

View Source

Supporting Sources (3)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

Preview of Addressing the rundown of nitrogen and soil organic carbon - GRDC, accessed July 25, 2025,
Addressing the rundown of nitrogen and soil organic carbon - GRDC, accessed July 25, 2025,
Degradation Threshold Journal

Soil | Australia state of the environment 2021

View Source
Preview of Nutrient relationships of tree species in a New South Wales Subtropical rainforest
Nutrient relationships of tree species in a New South Wales Subtropical rainforest
Contextual Support Journal

Nutrient relationships of tree species in a New South Wales Subtropical rainforest

View Source
Preview of Soil Organic Carbon Distribution, Enzyme Activities, and the ... - MDPI
Soil Organic Carbon Distribution, Enzyme Activities, and the ... - MDPI
Contextual Support Journal

Soil Organic Carbon Distribution, Enzyme Activities, and the ... - MDPI

View Source

Context

  • Region Australia
  • Biome Tropical & Subtropical Rainforests
  • Land Use Conservation / Protected Natural Areas
  • Assessment Conservation Target
  • Evidence Type DegradationThreshold

Lifecycle

  • Status Active
  • Version 1
  • Effective From 6 Jun 2026

Notes

No upper detrimental threshold — higher values are always better up to natural saturation. Values falling below this threshold signal a compromised ecosystem requiring management intervention.

Related Benchmarks

Other benchmarks in the AUS-TSR-CON-SOC family.

3.2 % Moderate
Conservation / Protected Natural Areas · Conservation Target
Point Active v1
6.6 % Moderate
Conservation / Protected Natural Areas · Conservation Target
Point Active v1
2 % Moderate
Conservation / Protected Natural Areas · Conservation Target
Point Active v1
4.6 % Moderate
Conservation / Protected Natural Areas · Conservation Target
MinimumOnly Active v1
1.4 % Moderate
Conservation / Protected Natural Areas · Conservation Target
MinimumOnly Active v1
— % Moderate
Conservation / Protected Natural Areas · Conservation Target
OptimalRange Active v1