Charnley LR Carbon Abatement

Charnley LR Carbon Abatement is a Savanna Fire Management project located at the Charnley River-Artesian Range Wildlife Sanctuary in the Kimberley region of WA, approximately 300km east of Derby. It was registered in February 2016 and covers 161,307.78 ha.

Savanna fire management projects involve the strategic and planned burning of savanna areas during the early dry season to reduce fuel loads. This standard practice prevents the risk and severity of late dry season wildfires, ultimately reducing total greenhouse gas emissions across the landscape.

The Charnley River area was historically known for cattle farming on pastoral leases, but land use has since transitioned towards dedicated biodiversity conservation. The area features a low rainfall tropical savanna climate, and soils generally consist of basalt and black soil plains interspersed with rugged sandstone gorges.

This project was set up by the Australian Wildlife Conservancy to manage fire and protect the region's unique biodiversity. The sanctuary encompasses the Artesian Range, which is noted as the only part of Australia to have experienced no mammal extinctions, making it a critical refuge for threatened species like the northern quoll and golden bandicoot.