West Arnhem Land Fire Abatement (WALFA) Project

The West Arnhem Land Fire Abatement (WALFA) Project is a landmark Savanna Fire Management project located in the remote and rugged Arnhem Land region of the Northern Territory. Situated approximately 100km east of Jabiru, the project area covers a massive 2.8 million hectares of Aboriginal freehold land. The region is characterized by the spectacular sandstone escarpments of the Arnhem Plateau and vast biodiversity-rich plains. Registered under the Emissions Reduction Fund in December 2014, WALFA is widely recognized as the global pioneer of savanna carbon farming, having originally commenced operations in 2006 well before the current federal legislation was established.

This project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative-Emissions Abatement through Savanna Fire Management) Methodology Determination 2015. The core activity involves strategic "Early Dry Season" (EDS) burning, lighting cool, patchy fires in the early months of the dry season (typically April to July) to reduce fuel loads. This practice creates firebreaks that prevent or mitigate the intensity of devastating "Late Dry Season" (LDS) wildfires, thereby significantly reducing greenhouse gas emissions such as methane and nitrous oxide.

The environment in West Arnhem Land is classified as a high rainfall zone, receiving over 1,000mm of precipitation annually during the monsoonal wet season. The terrain is complex, featuring the rocky, shallow soils (Rudosols) of the sandstone plateau and the red earth soils (Kandosols) of the surrounding lowlands. The land is managed for conservation and cultural purposes by Traditional Owners and Indigenous ranger groups, including the Warddeken, Djelk, Mimal, Jawoyn, and Adjumarllarl rangers.

A notable historical fact is that WALFA was established through a partnership with ConocoPhillips to offset emissions from the Darwin LNG plant, serving as the proof-of-concept that led to the Australian Government's current savanna burning methodology. In February 2016, a relinquishment notice for 10,644 Kyoto Australian carbon credit units was issued to the proponent, ALFA (NT) Limited. This type of adjustment often occurs when projects transition between methodology versions (as seen in the 2015 variation) or require balancing of credit issuance.