Inkerman Station (Revoked)

Inkerman Station (Revoked) was a savanna burning project located on the western Cape York Peninsula in Queensland. The project area covered a massive 275,583 hectares, situated approximately 60km southeast of the indigenous community of Kowanyama and north of Normanton. The station itself is a large-scale pastoral operation, bordered by the Nassau River to the north, the Staaten River to the south, and the Gulf of Carpentaria to the west. The region is primarily used for cattle grazing, with the station reportedly running around 10,000 breeder cows.

The project operated under the Carbon Farming Initiative using the Early Dry Season (EDS) Savanna Burning methodology. This method involves conducting strategic, cool-burning fires early in the dry season (typically before August) to reduce the fuel load on the ground. By doing so, land managers aim to prevent high-intensity, uncontrolled wildfires late in the dry season, which release significantly more greenhouse gases (methane and nitrous oxide) than controlled early burns.

Environmentally, the region is defined by a tropical savanna climate with distinct wet and dry seasons. During the wet season (summer), the area often becomes inaccessible by road due to heavy monsoonal rains. The landscape features coastal shell-covered beachfronts transitioning into sandy plains and alluvial clay soils near the river systems, supporting native grasses and woodlands essential for both grazing and fire management activities.

This project is a notable case study in regulatory compliance regarding "eligible interest holder" consents. Registered in July 2015, the project initially generated over 34,000 Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs). However, the Clean Energy Regulator later revoked the project and demanded the relinquishment of these credits because the proponent, Country Carbon, failed to maintain the necessary consents from relevant interest holders (likely Native Title holders or mortgagees) as required by Section 28A(2) of the CFI Act. After a legal challenge in the Federal Court and an application to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal, Country Carbon withdrew its appeal in 2019 and returned the credits to the regulator.