Batavia Savanna Burning Project

Batavia Savanna Burning Project is a savanna fire management project located at Batavia Downs, approximately 95km east of Weipa on the Cape York Peninsula in Far North Queensland. Registered in October 2015, the project spans an impressive 241,499.91 hectares. The surrounding area has a rich land use history; it was originally established as a commercial cattle grazing property and later transitioned into a Queensland Government agricultural research station. In November 2012, the land was officially handed back to the Atambaya, Northern Kaanju, and Yinwum Traditional Owners as Aboriginal Freehold and National Park.

Savanna fire management projects generate carbon credits by applying traditional and strategic land management practices. By conducting controlled, low-intensity patchwork burns during the early dry season, land managers significantly reduce ground fuel loads. This creates fire breaks and prevents the spread of large, destructive, and highly pollutive wildfires that typically occur in the late dry season, thereby directly avoiding significant greenhouse gas emissions.

The project operates in a high rainfall environment, situated within the >1000mm annual rainfall isohyet, which is driven heavily by the summer monsoon. The regional landscape is characterized by tropical eucalypt woodlands and patches of vine thicket, growing on a mix of deep clays, sandy loams, and deeply weathered lateritic soils typical of the Cape York Peninsula's Batavia soil association.

An interesting aspect of the project is its evolution in partnership. Initially registered with Corporate Carbon Solutions Pty Ltd as a joint participant, the Batavia Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation took sole proponent status in April 2026, engaging Gondwana Carbon to act as their agent to assist with project development and management. Beyond carbon abatement, the strategic burning protects cultural heritage sites and supports biodiversity, benefiting local threatened species like the palm cockatoo and rufous owl. Credits from this project have been sought by major organizations for carbon neutrality, with notable buyers including the Commonwealth Bank of Australia (via the Xpansiv platform) and Telstra.