Western Top End Savanna Fire Management Project - WTE SFM

The Western Top End Savanna Fire Management Project (WTE SFM) is a Savanna Fire Management project located in the West Daly region of the Northern Territory. The project area covers approximately 1.4 million hectares, centering around the community of Wadeye (Port Keats), roughly 250km southwest of Darwin. It operates across the Daly River Port Keats Aboriginal Land Trust. The region is primarily defined by Indigenous land use, conservation, and traditional land management practices, with the Thamarrurr Rangers playing a central role in operations.

Registered on December 20, 2020, this project utilizes the 2018 Savanna Fire Management (Emissions Avoidance) methodology. This method involves conducting strategic "cool burns" during the early dry season to reduce the fuel load of dry grass and vegetation. By managing fuel loads early, the project aims to prevent high-intensity, uncontrolled wildfires later in the dry season, thereby avoiding the significant greenhouse gas emissions (methane and nitrous oxide) associated with such fires.

The project is situated in a high rainfall zone, receiving over 1000mm of annual rainfall typical of the tropical monsoonal climate. The landscape features diverse ecosystems including floodplains and open forests, with soils characterized largely as sandy red earths, lateritic soils, and sandy loams common to the Top End savannas.

A significant administrative update occurred on December 24, 2024, when the project was subdivided under section 23 of the CFI Rule. The proponent, Thamarrurr Development Corporation (TDC), is a not-for-profit entity representing the 20 clans of the Thamarrurr region. Through this project, TDC facilitates "caring for Country" while generating economic opportunities and employment for local Indigenous rangers.