Jawoyn Fire Project

Jawoyn Fire Project is a savanna fire management project spanning areas approximately 40 km north and 40 km east of Katherine in the Northern Territory. It was registered in February 2014 and covers an expansive 148,501 hectares.

Savanna fire management projects involve the strategic, controlled burning of savanna areas during the early dry season. This standard requirement safely reduces fuel loads and minimises the risk of large, uncontrollable, and highly polluting wild fires in the late dry season.

The Katherine region is traditionally known for Indigenous land management, conservation (including the famous Nitmiluk National Park), tourism, and pastoral grazing. The project area sits within the high rainfall zone. The local environment is predominantly characterised by Kandosols, red, brown, and yellow earthy soils that are widespread across the Northern Territory's Top End.

The project is managed by the Jawoyn Association Aboriginal Corporation, whose rangers combine ancient customary fire knowledge with modern aerial ignition techniques to care for their country. Revenue generated from the sale of Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) helps fund vital community programs, tourism operations, and local Indigenous employment. Notably, the project successfully completed a government contract in July 2021, and its credits are also actively used by local commercial operations to responsibly offset their carbon footprints.