Savanna Burning Investment Ready Project - Cape York Pilot Aurukun

Savanna Burning Investment Ready Project - Cape York Pilot Aurukun is a Savanna Fire Management project located in the remote Aurukun Shire on the western coast of the Cape York Peninsula, Queensland. The project area is situated approximately 60km south of the township of Aurukun and covers a substantial 379,397 hectares. Registered in January 2015, the project operates on traditional Wik and Kugu homelands, where land use is primarily focused on Indigenous conservation, cultural maintenance, and traditional land management.

The project operates under the 2015 Savanna Fire Management methodology, specifically targeting the high rainfall zone (receiving over 1,000mm annually). This methodology involves strategic, cool-burning practices conducted during the early dry season (typically before August) to reduce the fuel load. By doing so, the project aims to prevent high-intensity, uncontrolled wildfires in the late dry season, thereby abating the release of powerful greenhouse gases like methane and nitrous oxide.

The Aurukun region is characterized by a tropical monsoonal climate with distinct wet and dry seasons and an average annual rainfall of approximately 1,600mm. The landscape features extensive eucalypt woodlands and wetlands supported by soils that are predominantly lateritic (bauxite-rich) kandosols and clays.

The project proponent, Aak Puul Ngantam (APN) Ltd., is a registered charity and Indigenous organization whose name translates to "our father's father's country." APN combines traditional ecological knowledge with modern technology, utilizing helicopters and aerial incendiaries to execute precise burn patterns. Revenue generated from Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) is reinvested into the community, funding the "Returning Generation" school camp and employing local rangers to manage feral animals and maintain cultural sites.