Soil Organic Carbon (SOC)

AUS-TDG-LVG-SOC General Moderate confidence

Benchmark Value

1 %

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 13 benchmarks together — the OptimalRange form drives the primary score, while 12 guard(s) constrain the result.

Contributing Benchmarks

OptimalRange Primary MaximumOnly Guard OptimalRange Guard Point Guard MinimumOnly Guard OptimalRange Guard LowerThreshold Guard OptimalRange Guard Point Guard LowerThreshold Guard OptimalRange Guard LowerThreshold Guard OptimalRange Guard

Evidence & Context

An SOC level of <1.0% in the 0-10cm layer is proposed as a lower critical threshold for Temperate Dry Woodlands & Native Grasslands under livestock grazing.

Metric Definition:

Lower critical threshold of Soil Organic Carbon (SOC) in the 0-10 cm soil layer below which essential soil functions are significantly impaired in Temperate Dry Woodlands & Native Grasslands under livestock grazing.

Benchmark Definition:

Critical SOC level below which soil functions and ecosystem health are severely impaired in Temperate Dry Woodlands & Native Grasslands under livestock grazing.

Justification:

Based on evidence from degraded landscapes showing severely degraded profiles with SOC as low as 0.16-0.30% and scalded profiles at 1.52%, indicating dysfunction below 1.0%.

Sources (1)

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

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

View Source

Supporting Sources (3)

Additional references from the underlying research that informed this benchmark.

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

Direct Evidence Journal

Managing grazing to increase ground cover in rangelands: using remote sensing to detect change | Request PDF - ResearchGate

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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 Journal

final repport - Department of Primary Industries, Queensland, accessed July 17, 2025,

View Source

Context

Region Australia
Biome Temperate Dry Woodlands & Native Grasslands
Land Use Livestock Grazing & Pasture
Assessment Pristine Reference
Evidence Type DegradationThreshold

Lifecycle

Status Active
Version 1
Effective From 17 Mar 2026

Notes

Values approaching 0.5% indicate extreme degradation; maintaining SOC above this threshold is crucial to prevent severe land degradation.

Related Benchmarks

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