Western Top End Fire Management Project Area B (Revoked)

Western Top End Fire Management Project Area B (Revoked) was a savanna fire management project located in the Victoria-Daly region of the Northern Territory, approximately 80km west of Katherine. Registered in September 2015, the project covered a substantial area of roughly 458,000 hectares. The project was revoked in April 2018, and its associated carbon abatement contract was terminated shortly after.

The project operated on pastoral land in the Top End, a region characterized by a tropical savanna climate with distinct wet and dry seasons. The landscape typically features open eucalypt woodlands and tall grasses growing on soils that range from lateritic red earths to sandy loams and cracking clays in floodplains. Land use in this area is predominantly cattle grazing, where fire management is a critical component of station operations to protect pasture and infrastructure.

The project utilized the "Reduction of Greenhouse Gas Emissions through Early Dry Season Savanna Burning" methodology. This involves strategically burning savanna areas during the early dry season (cooler months) to reduce fuel loads. By doing so, the project aims to prevent high-intensity, uncontrolled wildfires later in the dry season, thereby reducing the overall emissions of methane and nitrous oxide.

An interesting note regarding this project is its proponent, James Benjamin Lewis, who has been associated with other fire projects in the region, such as those on Claravale and Ban Ban Springs stations. The revocation of "Area B" and "Area C" (a separate revoked project) suggests a restructuring or consolidation of carbon activities across these pastoral holdings during that period.