Fish River Fire Project
Late season wildfires produce twice as much carbon emissions as controlled burning early in the dry season. By burning early in the dry season, the
Fish River Fire Project is not only reducing carbon emissions, it is also reducing the risk of more dangerous wild fires later in the dry season.
Fish River is 200 kilometres south-west of Darwin. The project combines traditional Indigenous burning knowledge with modern technology to carry out ground burning and aerial prescribed burning while generating Australian carbon credit units (ACCUs).
Fish River was the first Indigenous savanna burning project in Australia to sell ACCUs on the open carbon trading market.
Indigenous rangers are employed and trained to undertake controlled aerial on on-ground burning work. Burning is carefully planned and monitored to protect culturally significant sites and populations of threatened species in the area such as the Northern Quoll, Gouldian Finch and Masked Owl.
The Indigenous Land Corporation manages the property in partnership with Traditional Owner groups and is using the experience of the Fish River Fire Project to inform the development of other Indigenous savanna burning projects.