Fish River Fire Project

Fish River Fire Project is a landmark Savanna Fire Management project located at Fish River Station, approximately 150km south of Darwin in the Northern Territory. Registered in October 2012, the project covers a vast area of 178,083 hectares along the Daly River. It holds the distinction of being the first savanna burning project ever approved by the Clean Energy Regulator, paving the way for the carbon economy in Indigenous-held lands across Northern Australia.

The project operates under the Savanna Fire Management methodology, which focuses on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, specifically methane and nitrous oxide, released by wildfires. Project activities involve strategic "cool" burning during the early dry season to reduce fuel loads. This shifts the fire regime away from high-intensity, uncontrolled late dry season wildfires that are more damaging to the landscape and release significantly higher emissions.

The Fish River region is characterized as a high rainfall zone within the tropical savanna belt. The landscape is diverse, featuring rugged sandstone escarpments, open woodlands, and pockets of rainforest. The soils in this region are typically varied, ranging from skeletal soils and rudosols on the ridges to sandy loams (Kandosols) and seasonally inundated clays on the floodplains. While the property was historically a pastoral lease, the rugged terrain meant it was only lightly grazed. Today, the primary land use is conservation and carbon farming, managed by Indigenous rangers for the benefit of Traditional Owners.

A unique aspect of this project is its history of collaboration. The property was purchased in 2010 through a partnership between the Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation (ILSC), The Nature Conservancy, and the Pew Charitable Trusts. This acquisition was designed to create a model for conservation and sustainable Indigenous livelihoods. The project protects significant biodiversity, including threatened species like the Northern Quoll, the Gouldian Finch, and the Pig-nosed Turtle.