Prince Regent NP - Savanna Burning Project

Prince Regent NP - Savanna Burning Project is an emissions avoidance project located in the remote Prince Regent National Park in the North Kimberley region of Western Australia. Situated approximately 250km northeast of Derby and accessible primarily by air or sea, the project covers a vast area of 576,379 hectares. It was registered on April 18, 2016.

The region is defined by its rugged sandstone plateaus, deep gorges, and skeletal, sandy soils typical of the King Leopold Sandstone formation. The area falls within the high rainfall zone of the savanna burning methodology, experiencing a tropical monsoonal climate with distinct wet and dry seasons and annual rainfall often exceeding 1000mm. The primary land use is conservation, with the project area strictly managed as a national park under the jurisdiction of the Western Australian Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA).

This project operates under the Carbon Farming Initiative, Emissions Abatement through Savanna Fire Management methodology. The core activity involves conducting strategic, planned burns during the early dry season (EDS) when conditions are cooler and vegetation is still moist. These controlled fires reduce the fuel load, such as dry grass and leaf litter, thereby preventing large, high-intensity wildfires from occurring in the late dry season (LDS). By shifting the fire regime from hot, uncontrolled late-season burns to cooler, patchy early-season burns, the project significantly reduces the emission of greenhouse gases like methane and nitrous oxide.

The proponent, the Conservation and Land Management Executive Body, is the statutory legal entity for the WA state government's conservation department. Notably, the park is home to the historic "Mermaid Tree" at Careening Bay and is recognized as a biodiversity hotspot, containing half of the bird and mammal species found in the Kimberley. The project has successfully completed multiple carbon abatement contracts since its inception.