Artemis Station

Artemis Station is a Savanna Fire Management project located in the heart of the Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland. Situated approximately 100km north of the township of Laura and just south of the Musgrave Roadhouse, the project operates on a working cattle station that covers roughly 124,669 hectares. Registered in August 2014, the property is a mix of pastoral grazing land and critical conservation zones, famously known as a stronghold for the endangered Golden-shouldered Parrot.

The project operates under the Savanna Fire Management methodology, specifically the 2015 determination for emissions abatement. This method involves conducting strategic, planned burns during the early dry season (EDS) when vegetation is still moist. These cool, patchy fires create firebreaks that limit the spread of destructive, high-intensity wildfires during the late dry season (LDS). By shifting the fire regime from late-season hot fires to early-season cool fires, the project significantly reduces the release of methane and nitrous oxide, generating Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) for the avoided emissions.

Environmentally, Artemis Station falls within the high rainfall zone of the tropical savanna, characterized by distinct wet and dry seasons. The landscape features tropical woodlands dominated by Eucalypts (such as Darwin Stringybark) and Melaleuca, interspersed with grassy flats. The soils are largely sandy and nutrient-poor, a condition that historically supported open grasslands essential for local biodiversity. The region is dotted with magnetic termite mounds, which serve as crucial nesting sites for birdlife but are threatened by vegetation thickening, a process where woody shrubs overtake grasslands due to altered fire regimes.

A defining feature of this project is its exceptional biodiversity co-benefits. Proponents Sue and Tom Shephard are renowned conservationists who have integrated carbon farming with the recovery of the Golden-shouldered Parrot (Alwal). The strategic burning required for carbon credits directly aligns with the habitat needs of the parrot; it reduces the woody thickening that hides predators (such as butcherbirds) and protects the termite mounds used for nesting. This synergy has made Artemis Station a high-profile case study for how carbon markets can fund critical species recovery, attracting buyers like ANZ Bank who seek credits with verifiable environmental premiums.