South East Arnhem Land Fire Abatement Stage 2 (SEALFA2)

South East Arnhem Land Fire Abatement Stage 2 (SEALFA2) is a savanna fire management project located within the South East Arnhem Land Indigenous Protected Area (SEAL IPA) in the Northern Territory. The project area covers approximately 986,277 hectares of Aboriginal freehold land, situated roughly between the communities of Ngukurr and Numbulwar in the Roper Gulf region. Registered in January 2016, the project is managed by ALFA (NT) Limited, an Aboriginal-owned carbon business, in partnership with the Yugul Mangi and Numbulwar Numburindi Ranger groups.

The project operates under the 2015 Savanna Fire Management methodology, which generates carbon credits by altering fire regimes in northern Australia. The core activity involves conducting strategic "cool" burns during the early dry season (EDS) to reduce fuel loads. By creating a mosaic of burnt patches early in the year when vegetation still holds moisture, the project prevents large, high-intensity wildfires from sweeping through during the late dry season (LDS). These lower-intensity fires release significantly fewer greenhouse gases (methane and nitrous oxide) than the hot, uncontrolled wildfires they suppress.

Environmentally, the project is classified as operating in the "low rainfall zone" (receiving between 600mm and 1000mm annually), which distinguishes it from its sister project, SEALFA1. The region features a monsoonal climate with distinct wet and dry seasons. The landscape is diverse, comprising sandy red earths and skeletal soils on sandstone plateaus, transitioning to self-mulching alluvial clay soils in the broad Roper River valley. The vegetation is dominated by tropical savanna woodlands, including eucalypt open forests and grasslands.

A key feature of SEALFA2 is its social and cultural impact. ALFA (NT) Limited is a charitable company created by Traditional Owners, ensuring that income from the sale of Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) is reinvested into the community. This funding supports the operational costs of the Ranger groups, facilitating traditional land management practices ("caring for country") while providing local employment and protecting biodiversity in the ecologically significant Arnhem Land region.