Wilinggin-Ellenbrae Dawan Savanna Fire Management Project

Wilinggin-Ellenbrae Dawan Savanna Fire Management Project is a savanna burning project located on Ellenbrae Station, approximately 230km southwest of Kununurra in the Kimberley region of Western Australia. Registered in December 2023, the project covers a massive area of roughly 381,341 hectares. The station is situated along the famous Gibb River Road and is approximately 125km south of Wyndham.

The region is defined by a tropical savanna climate with distinct wet and dry seasons. Rainfall in this area generally bridges the high and low rainfall zones defined by the methodology (typically transitioning around the 600mm–1000mm isohyets). The landscape is characterized by rugged sandstone escarpments and sandy loam soils, supporting native eucalypt woodlands and spinifex grasslands. Land use in the area is primarily pastoral (cattle grazing) and tourism, with Ellenbrae Station being a well-known stopover for travelers.

This project operates under the Savanna Fire Management (Emissions Avoidance) methodology. The core activity involves strategic "early dry season" (EDS) burning. By conducting cooler, controlled burns early in the year, the project aims to reduce the fuel load and prevent large, hot "late dry season" (LDS) wildfires. These late-season fires release significantly more greenhouse gases (methane and nitrous oxide) than the cooler early burns. The carbon credits (ACCUs) are generated by calculating the emissions avoided compared to a historical baseline of uncontrolled fires.

A notable aspect of this project is the collaboration indicated by its name. It involves a partnership between Ellenbrae Station (a pastoral lease) and the Wilinggin Aboriginal Corporation, which represents the Ngarinyin people, the Traditional Owners of the land. The inclusion of "Dawan" in the project title likely refers to the specific clan estate or traditional land division within Ngarinyin culture, highlighting a model where pastoral operations and Indigenous land management coexist to generate environmental and economic benefits.