Wongalara Carbon Abatement

Wongalara Carbon Abatement is a Savanna Fire Management project located at the Wongalara Sanctuary, approximately 120km south-east of Kakadu National Park and roughly 200km south-east of the major service hub of Katherine in the Northern Territory. Registered in February 2016, the project covers a vast area of approximately 192,542 hectares. The land is currently managed for conservation purposes by the Australian Wildlife Conservancy (AWC), having previously been a pastoral lease.

Savanna Fire Management projects involve the strategic implementation of controlled burns during the early dry season (cooler months) to reduce fuel loads. This practice prevents the occurrence of high-intensity, uncontrolled wildfires in the late dry season, thereby reducing greenhouse gas emissions (specifically methane and nitrous oxide) and sequestering carbon in dead organic matter.

The region is characterized by a monsoonal tropical climate with distinct wet and dry seasons. While the project sits in a transitional zone between the tropical Top End and the semi-arid interior, the project's registered activities explicitly classify it as operating within the "high rainfall area" (typically defined as >1000mm annually for this methodology), though the project description notes the burning of savanna in the low rainfall zone, reflecting the property's diverse topography. The landscape features a complex mix of rugged sandstone plateaus, escarpments, and volcanic valleys, with soils ranging from shallow rudosols on the ridges to fertile clays and loams in the basalt valleys.

Wongalara Sanctuary is notable for establishing one of the largest feral herbivore-free areas on the mainland. A 100,000-hectare fenced section excludes feral cattle and buffalo, which complements the fire management activities by maintaining ground cover and protecting critical habitat for threatened species like the Gouldian Finch and the Hooded Parrot.