Purnululu - Ord River Regeneration Reserve Savanna Burning Project

Purnululu - Ord River Regeneration Reserve Savanna Burning Project is a savanna fire management project located in the East Kimberley region of Western Australia, approximately 70km north of Halls Creek. Registered in May 2018, the project encompasses a vast area of 695,603 hectares. The project area sits within the Shire of Halls Creek and is situated near the World Heritage-listed Purnululu National Park (Bungle Bungles) and the catchment area for Lake Argyle.

The project operates under the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative, Savanna Fire Management, Emissions Avoidance) Methodology Determination 2018. This methodology incentivizes land managers to implement strategic "early dry season" burns, typically cooler and patchier fires ignited in the earlier months of the year. These controlled burns reduce the fuel load (dried grass and vegetation) that would otherwise feed high-intensity, uncontrolled wildfires during the "late dry season," which emit significantly higher levels of greenhouse gases. The project is classified as being in the low rainfall zone (600–1000mm annual rainfall), which requires a specific 15-year baseline period for calculating abatement.

The Ord River Regeneration Reserve is situated in a semi-arid monsoonal climate characterized by a distinct wet season (November to March) and a long dry season. The region is historically significant for its landscape recovery; formerly pastoral stations (such as Ord River and Turner stations), the land suffered severe degradation and soil erosion from overgrazing in the mid-20th century. The soils, often friable calcareous loams and susceptible clays, were prone to washing into the Ord River, threatening to silt up the proposed Ord River Dam (Lake Argyle). Consequently, the area was resumed by the state government in the 1960s for regeneration. Today, the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (DBCA) manages the land to maintain vegetation cover and minimize sedimentation, with the carbon project adding a layer of fire management to protect these environmental values.