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How these projects work

Savanna fire emissions reduction projects involve strategic burning in northern Australia’s early dry season (January to July) to decrease the size, intensity and frequency of late dry season wildfires. Reducing savanna wildfire emissions through annual fire management practices can earn carbon credits.

Emissions reductions are calculated for each calendar year using the free Savanna Burning Abatement Tool (SavBAT), which compares wildfire emissions before and after your project started.

Project activities

Savanna fires emissions reduction projects must undertake strategic early dry season burning every calendar year. This may be carried out by practices such as igniting fires from aircraft, from vehicles or by walking across country with handheld drip torches. Early dry season fire management may be supported by late dry season fire management activities such as constructing fire breaks. The type of fire management activities undertaken will depend on the local landscape and weather conditions.

Eligibility requirements

To be eligible you must:

• Identify eligible project areas — land in your project must be in the high or low rainfall zone in northern Australia and contain appropriate savanna vegetation types. You cannot include areas that have gamba grass (a specified weed species).
• Establish legal right (the right to run your project and claim carbon credits) – for example, holding the relevant land titles or leases, or having a signed agreement with the landholder to run a project on their land.
• Obtain regulatory approvals and consent from everyone with an eligible interest in the project land. Consent holders will vary. They may include banks, state governments (if the land is leased) or relevant native title bodies corporate.
  • You should engage early and seek free, prior and informed consent from relevant native title groups. For more information on native title and your projects, see our native title guidance.

Running and reporting on your project

As part of registering a project, you will need to describe your proposed activities, explain whether your project is occurring on native title or Indigenous land, state whether state and territory bodies have been notified, outline when your fire permits are required, and calculate your expected carbon credits.

There are operating, monitoring, reporting and audit obligations in running a savanna fires emissions reduction project. You will need to report on your project at least once every two years. You receive carbon credits each time you report emissions reductions over a period of 25 years.

Relevant legislation and resources

• Factsheet - Savanna fires emissions reduction projects.
• Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative — Savanna fire management— Emissions Avoidance) and the explanatory statement
• Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Act 2011, the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Regulations 2011 and the Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Rule 2015.