Nyaliga Fire Project

The Nyaliga Fire Project is a Savanna Fire Management project located on the Karunjie and Durack River pastoral stations in the East Kimberley region of Western Australia. Situated approximately 130km southwest of Wyndham, the project area covers a massive 636,862 hectares of exclusive possession native title land. It was registered in December 2017 and is managed by the Nyaliga Aboriginal Corporation with support from the Kimberley Land Council.

The project operates on land primarily designated for indigenous land management and conservation, sitting within the rugged landscapes of the Kimberley. The region is characterized by a "low rainfall" classification under the methodology, experiencing a distinct wet season followed by a long dry season. The terrain features a mix of sandstone uplands with skeletal soils and river valleys containing alluvial clay plains, typical of the Wilinggin Indigenous Protected Area.

Savanna Fire Management projects in this region involve shifting the fire regime from high-intensity late dry season wildfires to strategic, cooler burns during the early dry season. By conducting planned burns when vegetation is still moist, the project creates firebreaks that limit the spread of destructive wildfires later in the year. This reduction in fire intensity significantly lowers greenhouse gas emissions, specifically methane and nitrous oxide.

An interesting aspect of this project is its integration of "right-way" burning, a practice that combines traditional Indigenous ecological knowledge with modern technology like satellite mapping and aerial incendiary drops. The revenue generated from Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) provided the first independent income for the Nyaliga Aboriginal Corporation, funding the establishment of the Nyaliga Ranger team in 2020 to manage country, protect cultural sites, and safeguard threatened species like the Gouldian Finch.