Wulburjubur Cultural Fire Project

Wulburjubur Cultural Fire Project is a Savanna Fire Management project located on Palmerville Station, approximately 30km south of the township of Laura in Queensland's Cape York Peninsula. Registered in September 2021, the project covers a substantial area of 57,501 hectares. The surrounding region is remote and historically known for cattle grazing and mining, though this project highlights a shift toward Indigenous land management and conservation.

The project operates in the high rainfall zone of the northern savannas. The landscape features tropical savanna vegetation supported by the region's distinct wet and dry seasons. The terrain in this part of the Palmer River catchment typically consists of alluvial soils near watercourses and rugged, skeletal soils on the ridges. The project activity involves strategic fire management, specifically conducting controlled burns in the early dry season (cool burns) to reduce the fuel load. This prevents large, uncontrolled wildfires in the late dry season, which are hotter and more damaging to the ecosystem.

This project utilizes the Savanna Fire Management - Sequestration and Emissions Avoidance methodology (2018). Unlike earlier methods that only credited the avoidance of methane and nitrous oxide emissions, this methodology also credits the carbon sequestered in dead organic matter (such as coarse woody debris) that would otherwise be consumed by hot, late-season fires. By shifting the fire regime, the project not only lowers greenhouse gas emissions but also increases the carbon stored in the landscape.

The project is managed by the Western Yalanji Aboriginal Corporation RNTBC with support from the Aboriginal Carbon Foundation. It represents a significant "cultural fire" initiative, blending traditional ecological knowledge with modern carbon abatement science. The revenue generated from Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) supports the Western Yalanji Rangers, funding equipment, uniforms, and operations at their base near Cannibal Creek, thereby fostering economic independence and employment "on country."