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. It was registered in October 2015 and covers 241,499.91 ha.

Savanna fire management projects involve strategic and planned burning of savanna areas during the early dry season. This practice reduces fuel loads and minimises the risk of late dry season, hot, intense wildfires, thereby avoiding massive greenhouse gas emissions.

The Cape York region is traditionally known for cattle grazing, conservation areas, and Aboriginal freehold lands. The project area is situated in a high rainfall zone, receiving over 1,000mm of annual precipitation, with typical tropical savanna environments featuring sandy, lateritic, and clay soil associations common to the peninsula.

Originally established as a grazing property and later a Queensland State Government research station, Batavia Downs was formally granted back to the Atambaya, Northern Kaanju, and Yinwum People in November 2012. The project is managed by the Batavia Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation, with Gondwana Carbon acting as their agent since 2023. The traditional fire management practices generate carbon credits while providing significant environmental and cultural co-benefits, including the protection of cultural sites, essential infrastructure, wetlands, and local biodiversity. A portion of the land, Batavia National Park, is jointly managed alongside the Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service.