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 remote Doongan and Theda pastoral leases. The region is widely known for these extensive pastoral leases historically used for cattle grazing, alongside vast Indigenous protected areas and biodiversity conservation efforts. The local environment experiences a tropical monsoonal climate characterized by high rainfall during the summer wet season and distinctively arid winters. The soils are highly variable, generally featuring shallow, stony sands and laterite on the sandstone ridges, which transition into deeper earthy red soils and cracking clays in the valleys and floodplains.

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 the vegetation retains some moisture, the methodology reduces natural fuel loads. This practice prevents the outbreak and limits the severity of massive, uncontrolled wildfires during the hot, late dry season, significantly reducing overall greenhouse gas emissions.

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 away from livestock and heavily toward sustainable land management and carbon farming. Today, these ecologically rich properties also serve as a hub for major university research programs, including extensive collaborative studies into dating ancient Aboriginal rock art and protecting local biodiversity.