Oriners & Sefton Savanna Burning Project

The Oriners & Sefton Savanna Burning Project is a savanna fire management methodology project located on the Oriners and Sefton pastoral leases in the western Cape York Peninsula, Queensland. The project area sits approximately 200km by unsealed road east of the township of Kowanyama. Registered in January 2015, the project covers a substantial area of 306,090 hectares. The region is traditionally comprised of pastoral stations but is now primarily managed for conservation, cultural heritage, and carbon abatement by the Kowanyama Aboriginal Shire Council.

This project operates under the savanna fire management methodology, which involves strategic, planned burning of savanna areas during the early dry season. By conducting cool, controlled burns when vegetation still holds moisture, the project aims to reduce the fuel load and prevent high-intensity, uncontrolled wildfires later in the dry season. This shift in fire regime significantly reduces the emission of greenhouse gases like methane and nitrous oxide.

The project is situated in the high rainfall zone of the Cape York Peninsula. The landscape consists of a mix of wetlands, delta mangroves, and "flooded forest" country. The environmental conditions are characterized by a distinct wet and dry season; during the wet season, the soils, typically a mix of alluvial clays and sandy loams, become saturated and boggy, creating a seasonally inundated environment that supports rich biodiversity.

An interesting aspect of this project is its deep integration with the local Indigenous community. The project is managed by the Kowanyama Aboriginal Land and Natural Resources Management Office (KALNRMO) and the Kowanyama Rangers, employing Traditional Owners to work on-country. The Oriners and Sefton stations were purchased by the Council in the 1990s from the Hughes family to facilitate this return to country. In addition to carbon abatement, the project has been used as a pilot for Indigenous-led verification frameworks, emphasizing cultural co-benefits alongside environmental outcomes.