North East Arnhem Land Fire Abatement (NEALFA)

North East Arnhem Land Fire Abatement (NEALFA) is a Savanna Fire Management project located in the remote Northern Territory, covering a vast expanse of approximately 1.08 million hectares. The project area is situated within the Laynhapuy Indigenous Protected Area (IPA), extending generally south and west from the Gove Peninsula and the mining town of Nhulunbuy. Registered in November 2016, this large-scale operation is managed by the Yirralka Rangers, who represent the Yolngu Traditional Owners of the region.

The project operates under the Savanna Fire Management (Emissions Avoidance) methodology. This involves conducting strategic, cool burns during the early dry season (typically April to July) to reduce the heavy fuel loads that accumulate during the wet season. By creating a mosaic of burnt and unburnt country, the project mitigates the intensity and spread of uncontrolled, high-emission wildfires that typically occur in the late dry season. This shift in fire regime avoids the release of significant amounts of methane and nitrous oxide into the atmosphere.

The region falls within the high rainfall zone of the tropical savannas, experiencing a distinct monsoonal climate with annual rainfall often exceeding 1000mm. The landscape is diverse, featuring rugged sandstone plateaus with thin, sandy soils (lithosols), extensive river floodplains characterized by alluvial clays, and lateritic earths common to the bauxite-rich Gove area. The land use is primarily conservation and traditional Aboriginal land management, focusing on cultural maintenance and biodiversity protection rather than commercial agriculture.

An interesting aspect of NEALFA is its proponent structure; it is operated by ALFA (NT) Limited, a company owned entirely by Aboriginal Traditional Owners which aggregates fire projects to support ranger groups. The project successfully completed a Carbon Abatement Contract (CAC182517) with the Australian Government, demonstrating its capacity to deliver verified abatement. Beyond carbon, the project delivers significant co-benefits, including the protection of culturally significant sites and sensitive monsoon rainforest pockets from destructive wildfires.