CPC Savanna Burning Project (Revoked)

The CPC Savanna Burning Project (Revoked) was a large-scale Savanna Fire Management project spanning approximately 2.94 million hectares across the Northern Territory and the East Kimberley region of Western Australia. Registered in October 2015, the project covered a vast geographical spread centering on the Victoria River District and the Barkly Tablelands. The project coordinates align with major pastoral properties including Newcastle Waters and Auvergne Station, with the general project area situated south and west of the regional hub of Katherine.

The project utilized the 2015 Savanna Fire Management methodology, which involves conducting strategic, low-intensity burns during the early dry season (EDS) to reduce vegetative fuel loads. This practice prevents the occurrence of high-intensity, uncontrolled wildfires in the late dry season (LDS). Abatement is calculated by measuring the reduction in methane and nitrous oxide emissions compared to a baseline of historical wildfire patterns.

The environment in this region represents a classic tropical savanna ecosystem. The rainfall classification varies across the massive project area, transitioning from high rainfall monsoonal zones in the north to lower rainfall, semi-arid conditions in the southern Barkly region. The terrain is dominated by extensive grazing country, featuring basalt-derived cracking clay soils (black soil plains) and rugged sandstone escarpments.

Operated by Consolidated Pastoral Company (CPC), one of Australia’s largest private landholders, the land use is exclusively extensive cattle grazing. The project was revoked in March 2018 under Section 30 of the CFI Rule. This section typically pertains to voluntary revocation, suggesting the proponents may have restructured the project to register individual stations separately or transitioned to the updated 2018 methodology to account for carbon sequestration in dead organic matter.