Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve Savanna Burning Project

Steve Irwin Wildlife Reserve Savanna Burning Project is a savanna fire management project located on the Cape York Peninsula, approximately 60km northeast of the bauxite-mining town of Weipa in Far North Queensland. It was registered in October 2015 and covers 135,909.80 ha.

Savanna fire management projects in the high rainfall zone involve conducting strategic, planned "cool" burns during the early dry season when vegetation is still moist. This reduces accumulated fuel loads and creates fire breaks, which ultimately prevents large-scale, high-intensity wildfires during the late dry season, thereby lowering the emission of potent greenhouse gases like methane and nitrous oxide.

The Cape York region is characterized by a tropical monsoonal climate and is considered a high rainfall zone, receiving over 1,000mm of rain annually. The soils in this specific area are predominantly lateritic red earths underlaid by extensive bauxite plateaus. While the surrounding region is traditionally known for cattle grazing and bauxite mining, the project area itself operates as a dedicated conservation and scientific research refuge.

This project operates on the former Bertiehaugh Cattle Station, which was acquired by the Irwin family with support from the Australian Government and transformed into a conservation memorial for the late Steve Irwin. Following the acquisition, Terri Irwin led a successful multi-year campaign to protect the land from a proposed bauxite strip-mining operation. The reserve now acts as a protected sanctuary for apex predators like saltwater crocodiles and serves as a vital ecological research hub. Funding generated from ACCUs helps support the ongoing management of the property, and an associated carbon abatement contract (CAC102349) was successfully completed in November 2016.