'Wardaman Fire Management Project

Wardaman Fire Management Project is a savanna fire management project located approximately 115km southwest of Katherine in the Northern Territory. It was registered in December 2021 and covers a vast 296,023.33 ha within the Wardaman Indigenous Protected Area.

Savanna fire management (emissions avoidance) projects involve undertaking strategic early dry season burning to reduce the frequency, intensity, and extent of destructive late dry season wildfires. By managing fuel loads when conditions are cooler and damper, these projects reduce overall greenhouse gas emissions that would otherwise result from uncontrolled blazes.

The Katherine and Victoria River regions are characterised by a monsoonal tropical climate with distinct wet and dry seasons. The project spans both high and low rainfall savanna zones. Regional land use is largely dedicated to conservation through Indigenous Protected Areas and traditional land management, alongside pastoral cattle grazing. The soils in this area typically consist of robust savanna soils, including red earth (Kandosols), sandy loams, and cracking clays.

This project is led by the Wardaman Rangers and Traditional Owners in partnership with the Northern Land Council. It heavily relies on traditional ecological knowledge, often referred to as 'cultural burning' or 'cold fire', to protect sites of cultural and biological significance. Interestingly, the initial funding for the project came from INPEX (operated through Ichthys LNG) via the Indigenous Land and Sea Corporation's Savanna Fire Management Program. The long-term goal of this partnership is for the project to transition to independence, empowering the Traditional Owners to retain, manage, and trade their generated Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) directly.