Jawoyn Fire Project

Jawoyn Fire Project is a Savanna Fire Management project located on traditional Jawoyn country, situated around Katherine and the Roper Gulf region in the Northern Territory. It was registered in February 2014 and covers approximately 148,501 hectares.

Savanna fire management projects involve the strategic and planned burning of savanna areas during the early dry season. The standard requirement is to safely reduce fuel loads as the wet season subsides, which significantly lowers the risk and severity of uncontrollable late dry season wildfires, thereby preventing associated greenhouse gas emissions.

The Katherine and Arnhem Land plateau area is characterised by traditional Indigenous land management, eco-tourism (such as the nearby Nitmiluk National Park), conservation, and some pastoral activities. The region experiences a monsoonal climate and is classified as a tropical high-rainfall zone. Soils in this environment generally consist of sandy loams, shallow rocky lithosols around the sandstone escarpments, and some clay in the lower river valleys.

The project is run by the Jawoyn Association Aboriginal Corporation, whose rangers were early pioneers in the Australian carbon economy. Jawoyn Rangers combine traditional fire practices passed down by their ancestors with modern techniques, including aerial and on-ground burning. The project successfully completed a Commonwealth contract in 2021, delivering 18,000 tonnes of carbon abatement, and continues to supply carbon credits to private corporate buyers, including universities and property groups. Revenue from the project is directly reinvested into caring for country, protecting local wildlife, and creating jobs for Indigenous Australians.