Prince Regent NP - Savanna Burning Project

Prince Regent NP - Savanna Burning Project is a Savanna Fire Management project located at the Prince Regent National Park in the remote Kimberley region, approximately 415km northeast of Broome in Western Australia. It was registered in April 2016 and covers an expansive 576,379.43 hectares. The region is deeply significant to traditional Aboriginal owners, and the area's primary land uses are protected wilderness and conservation.

Savanna burning projects in high rainfall areas involve the strategic, planned burning of savanna zones during the early dry season. This methodology safely reduces accumulated fuel loads, mitigating the risk and severity of uncontrolled late dry season wildfires and lowering overall greenhouse gas emissions (specifically methane and nitrous oxide).

The project operates in a tropical monsoon climate defined as a high rainfall zone. The local environment is extremely rugged and is characterised by deep gorges, terraced cascading waterfalls, ancient sandstone plateaus, and volcanic rock with shallow, sandy, and lateritic soils.

This project was originally registered under the name "Wildlife protection and conservation through improved ecosystem scale management" before a variation formally changed it to the current name in March 2018. Over its lifetime, the proponent has evolved from the Department of Parks and Wildlife to the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, and is currently registered to the Conservation and Land Management Executive Body. The project has fulfilled multiple Commonwealth carbon abatement contracts, including delivering 20,000 fixed-delivery ACCUs under contract CAC388920, which was completed in September 2020. The Prince Regent National Park itself was nominated as a UNESCO World Biosphere Reserve in 1978 and is an extraordinary biodiversity hotspot harbouring over 500 vascular plant species. Furthermore, funds raised from the ACCUs generated by this project are intended to support critical on-ground land management activities in collaboration with Traditional Owners.