Batavia Savanna Burning Project

Batavia Savanna Burning Project is a savanna fire management project located at Batavia Downs (now Batavia National Park) on the Cape York Peninsula, approximately 150km east of Weipa 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 to reduce the risk and severity of late dry season wildfires. This traditional patchwork burning reduces the greenhouse gas emissions that would otherwise be released by hotter, uncontrolled fires later in the year.

The Cape York Peninsula region is known for traditional Aboriginal land management, conservation reserves, and cattle grazing. The area is situated in a high rainfall zone, receiving over 1000mm annually, and the soils are generally acidic, ranging from clayey sands to deep brown clays.

This project is deeply intertwined with cultural tradition and provides significant environmental co-benefits by protecting wetlands, vegetation, and animal species. Batavia Downs was originally established as a grazing property and a Queensland State Government research station before being handed back to the Atambaya, Northern Kaanju, and Yinwum People in November 2012. The land is now jointly managed by Queensland Parks & Wildlife and the Batavia Traditional Owners Aboriginal Corporation, with Gondwana Carbon acting as the project agent since 2023.