Northern Savanna Project

Northern Savanna Project is a Savanna fire management project located at Kalpowar Station on the Northern Cape Peninsula in Queensland, approximately five hours north of Cairns. Registered in November 2016, the project area covers an expansive 192,516 hectares. While the specific property and surrounding regions were historically utilised for cattle grazing, the dominant land use has largely transitioned into Indigenous conservation, cultural heritage management, and nature refuges overseen by Traditional Owners.

Savanna fire management projects involve the strategic application of planned burning during the early dry season. By adopting traditional cultural fire practices to create a patchwork of "fire scars," these projects successfully reduce the build-up of ground fuel. This essential methodology decreases the risk, intensity, and frequency of uncontrolled late dry season wildfires, significantly lowering the overall emission of greenhouse gases.

Situated in a monsoonal tropical climate, the project falls within the high rainfall zone of Northern Australia, receiving approximately 1,000 millimetres of annual rainfall. The local environment consists of tropical eucalypt woodlands and native savanna ecosystems. The soils throughout the Cape York Peninsula are typically acidic and infertile, predominantly characterised by hardsetting sandy and clay profiles such as Kandosols, Dermosols, and Tenosols.

The Northern Savanna Project is run by the Alka Bawar (Kalpowar) Aboriginal Corporation and delivers substantial environmental, social, and cultural co-benefits. Revenue generated from the sale of Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) is used to fund local employment for young Indigenous rangers, protect vital wetland habitats, and coordinate joint fire management programs with neighbouring Traditional Owner groups. In early 2025, Gondwana Carbon partnered with the corporation as its official natural carbon advisor to assist with ACCU trading and project management. The project's high-quality carbon credits have been actively sought out and purchased by major corporate buyers, including the Insurance Australia Group (IAG) and the Nous Group, to achieve their respective climate and reconciliation targets.