Jawoyn Fire Project

The Jawoyn Fire Project (EOP100639) is a Savanna Fire Management project located in the Northern Territory, situated approximately 30km northeast of the major regional town of Katherine. The project area spans 148,501 hectares, covering parts of the Nitmiluk National Park and the West Arnhem Land plateau. Registered in February 2014, the project is managed by the Jawoyn Association Aboriginal Corporation, an organization representing the Traditional Owners of the region.

Savanna Fire Management projects in this region involve shifting fire patterns from the late dry season to the early dry season. By conducting strategic, cool burns early in the year (typically January to July), land managers reduce the fuel load and prevent uncontrollable, high-intensity wildfires later in the year. This reduction in high-intensity fires directly lowers the emission of methane and nitrous oxide, potent greenhouse gases.

The project operates in the "high rainfall zone" of the Northern Territory, which typically receives over 1,000mm of annual rainfall. The landscape is characterized by rugged sandstone escarpments, rocky ridges, and deep gorges typical of the Katherine region, with soils ranging from sandy loams to skeletal soils on the ridges. The primary land use in this area is conservation and Indigenous land management, with the Jawoyn Rangers combining traditional ecological knowledge with modern scientific monitoring to manage the landscape.

An interesting aspect of this project is its significant cultural co-benefits. Beyond carbon abatement, the strategic burning protects thousands of years of rock art sites in the Nitmiluk area from heat damage caused by intense wildfires. The project also completed a Carbon Abatement Contract (CAC102455) with the Australian Government in 2021, demonstrating its maturity in the carbon market.