Highbury Station

Highbury Station is a Savanna Fire Management project located in the remote Gulf Savannah region of Queensland, approximately 240km northwest of Chillagoe and 380km northwest of Mareeba. Registered in September 2014, the project covers a massive area of 187,848 hectares on a working cattle station situated near the Mitchell River and north of the Staaten River National Park.

The project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Emissions Abatement through Savanna Fire Management) Methodology Determination 2015. This methodology involves strategic fire management across the tropical savannas of northern Australia. By conducting cool, patchy controlled burns during the early dry season (EDS), land managers reduce the fuel load that would otherwise feed intense, high-emission wildfires in the late dry season (LDS). This shift in fire seasonality significantly reduces the release of methane and nitrous oxide, potent greenhouse gases. Standard requirements for such projects include the use of the SavBAT (Savanna Burning Abatement Tool) for calculating abatement, strict weed management (particularly for invasive species like Gamba grass), and annual planned burning operations.

The Highbury Station region is characterized by a tropical savanna climate with distinct wet and dry seasons. While the project is classified as operating in the "high rainfall area" (typically defined in the methodology as receiving over 1000mm annually), the local environment is a mix of open woodlands and grasslands. The soils in this part of the Mitchell River catchment are generally comprised of sandy loams and red earths, with heavier alluvial clays present near the river systems.

An interesting aspect of this project is its longevity; it originally operated under the 2013 Savanna Burning determination before transitioning to the 2015 method in February 2017. The proponent, Country Carbon Pty. Ltd., is a well-established developer in this sector, often highlighting the co-benefits of savanna burning for pastoral operations and Indigenous land management. By integrating carbon farming with cattle grazing, the project illustrates how fire management can improve pasture quality while generating environmental revenue.