Soil Organic Carbon (SOC)

AUS-TMS-FOR-SOC General Low confidence

Benchmark Value

1.5 %

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 6 benchmarks together — the OptimalRange form drives the primary score, while 5 guard(s) constrain the result.

Contributing Benchmarks

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

Evidence & Context

an SOC level of <1.5% in the 0-10 cm layer is proposed as a critically low threshold for Tropical Monsoonal Savannas under production forestry.

Metric Definition:

Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) as a percentage in the 0-10 cm soil layer

Benchmark Definition:

Critically low SOC threshold for 0-10 cm layer

Justification:

Below this level, essential soil functions such as nutrient cycling, water retention, and soil stability are likely to be severely impaired, representing a substantial degradation from the natural SOC capacity.

Sources (1)

Preview of Soil Organic Matter Dynamics and Carbon Sequestration in Australian Tropical Soils

Soil Organic Matter Dynamics and Carbon Sequestration in Australian Tropical Soils GreyLiterature

Soil Health Literature - Summaries and Citations - Natural Resources Conservation Service

View Source

Supporting Sources (3)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

$Preview of Mapping soil organic carbon fractions for Australia, their stocks, and uncertainty - BG, accessed July 6, 2025,$

Mapping soil organic carbon fractions for Australia, their stocks, and uncertainty - BG, accessed July 6, 2025,

Direct Evidence Journal

Benefits and trade-offs of soil organic carbon sequestration - OAPEN Library

View Source

Optimal Fire Regimes for Soil Carbon Storage in Tropical Savannas of Northern Australia | Request PDF - ResearchGate

Contextual Support Journal

Carbon balance of a tropical savanna of northern Australia - CiteSeerX

View Source

Public submission - Independent Planning Commission, accessed May 17, 2025,

Contextual Support Journal

Delivering biodiversity and socio economic co-benefits through the adoption of Beef Cattle Herd Management emission reduction pr - Southern Gulf NRM, accessed May 17, 2025

View Source

Context

Region Australia
Biome Tropical Monsoonal Savannas
Land Use Production Forestry
Assessment Not Stated
Evidence Type DegradationThreshold

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 2
Effective From 29 May 2026

Notes

No upper detrimental threshold — higher values are always better up to natural saturation. Derived from studies on soil degradation and general soil health principles, noting that losses exceeding 60% from a healthy state (4.0-4.8%) would reduce SOC to around 1.6-1.9%. AssessmentContext defaulted to 'Not Stated' because the source document did not state one.

Related Benchmarks

Other benchmarks in the AUS-TMS-FOR-SOC family.