North Kimberley Pastoral Lease Carbon Abatement

North Kimberley Pastoral Lease Carbon Abatement is a savanna burning project located in the far north Kimberley region of Western Australia, approximately 100km south of Kalumburu and 200km west of Wyndham. It was registered in February 2014 and covers an expansive 844,114.82 hectares across the Doongan and Theda pastoral leases.

Savanna burning projects involve the strategic and planned ignition of fires during the early dry season, typically between April and June. By conducting these managed burns while the weather is cooler and vegetation retains some moisture, the methodology reduces natural fuel loads. This prevents the outbreak and limits the severity of massive, uncontrolled wildfires during the hot, late dry season, significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

The far north Kimberley region is largely known for extensive pastoral leases historically used for cattle grazing, alongside Indigenous protected areas and biodiversity conservation. The environment features a tropical monsoonal climate characterised by high rainfall during the summer wet season and distinctively arid winters. The region's soils are highly variable, generally consisting of shallow, stony sands and laterite on the sandstone ridges, which transition into deeper earthy red soils and cracking clays in the valleys and floodplains.

Originally registered by the Australian Wildlife Conservancy under the name "Ecofire-North Carbon Abatement," the project transitioned in 2014 and 2015 to be managed by Dunkeld Pastoral Co. Pty. Ltd. as the Trustee for the Yasme Trust. Due to the region's extreme isolation, rugged terrain, and monsoonal flooding, which make traditional cattle mustering highly difficult and costly, the proponent shifted its primary focus from livestock to sustainable land management and carbon farming. Today, these ecologically rich properties serve as a hub for major university research programs, including extensive studies on dating ancient Aboriginal rock art and pioneering large-scale cane toad mitigation strategies.