Western Top End Fire Management Project Area A (Revoked)

Western Top End Fire Management Project Area A (Revoked) was a savanna burning project located in the Victoria Daly region of the Northern Territory. The project area, spanning a massive 663,401 hectares, was situated approximately 250km southwest of Darwin and 200km west of Katherine, encompassing land south of the Daly River community (Nauiyu) towards the Joseph Bonaparte Gulf. Registered in September 2015 and revoked in April 2018, the project operated on land primarily used for pastoral cattle grazing and indigenous land management.

The project utilized the "Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions through Early Dry Season Savanna Burning" methodology. This approach involves conducting strategic, cool-burning fires during the early dry season (typically before August) to reduce fuel loads. By doing so, land managers prevent high-intensity, uncontrolled wildfires in the late dry season, which release significantly higher volumes of methane and nitrous oxide into the atmosphere.

Environmentally, the Western Top End region falls within the high rainfall zone of the Northern Territory's tropical savanna. The landscape is characterized by extensive floodplains and rugged terrain, with soils predominantly consisting of Red Kandosols (loamy red earths) and grey or brown cracking clays (vertosols) in the lower-lying alluvial plains. These soil types support the native tall grass savannas required for this fire management methodology.

An interesting note regarding the project's history is the identity of the proponent, James Benjamin Lewis. Public records from the Northern Territory Government identify a "James (Benjamin) Lewis" as the Chair of the Victoria Daly Regional Bushfires Committee. This suggests the project was led by an experienced local stakeholder deeply involved in regional fire governance. Although this specific project ID was revoked, the region remains an active hub for carbon abatement, with subsequent projects (such as the Western Top End Savanna Fire Management Project) continuing to operate in the West Daly and Victoria Daly areas.