This research describes a generic monitoring design that could be widely applied to detect temporal changes in soil organic carbon stocks (SOC) across a carbon estimation area (CEA) with no prior knowledge of the spatial or temporal variance of SOC within the CEA.

The report includes information on:

• Bases for designing SOC stock sampling for detecting change
• Monitoring SOC change to verify the effects of land use or management practices
• Statistical rationale for monitoring SOC change
• Quality measure and constraints for monitoring SOC change
• Design-based optimisation of sample sizes
• Model-based optimisation of sample sizes
• Hypothesis testing
• Statistical model for monitoring SOC change
• Using available data and its variability to guide initial sampling design
• Uncertainty in outcomes of monitoring designs
• Summary and conclusions.