Fire management is becoming a critical carbon abatement tool. An observable increase in bushfire intensity and rates of spread have been seen around Australia over the last decade. According to the Bureau of Meteorology, increases in monsoonal rainfall and increased storm activities in northern Australia have led to increased fuel growth and more incidents of fire ignition from lightning strikes. So reducing the impact of larger, more intense fire events, is of increasing importance, especially given their role as a significant carbon emitter.

Strategic fire management

Savanna burning projects aim to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide emitted from wildfires. These projects work by burning in the early part of northern Australia’s dry season, from April to October. By burning in cooler, more controlled conditions, the frequency and extent of wildfire can be reduced, which means less emissions overall.

Many successful savanna fire management projects have been undertaken by Aboriginal groups and are the source of major Indigenous recruitment to the sector. The Aboriginal Carbon Foundation (ABCF) has reported that around 22 of total 78 savanna burning projects have been implemented with significant Aboriginal involvement.

The diversity of ways savanna burning occurs is indicative of the specialised knowledge project managers have about the country they’re working on. According to the CER, in the prescribed period, savanna burning projects may involve igniting fires from aircraft, from vehicles along the sides of roads and tracks, from boats on waterways, or by walking across country. There may also be other ACCU-generating, fire-limiting work done outside the prescribed burning period. These can include the construction and maintenance of firebreaks to limit the spread of bushfire and bushfire suppression during the fire season. Practices vary depending on landscape considerations such as fuel type and topography.

Quantifying and measuring

A common question people first ask when learning about savanna burning projects is: how are their benefits quantified? Firstly, activities that accrue ACCUs from savanna burning projects are assessed by two methodologies :

–       Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative – Sequestration and Emissions Avoidance) Methodology Determination 2018; and
–       Carbon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative – Emissions Avoidance) Methodology Determination 2018.

The process of measuring activities is managed by the Savanna Burning Abatement Tool (SAVBAT 3), which automates GIS processes and calculations needed to estimate net abatement in accordance with the Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF).

Savanna burning is an important tool for carbon abatement and in turn, slowing down climate change. According to the ABCF, 70% of all ACCUs produced have been produced by Indigenous savanna burning projects. But just as important are the social benefits. Organisations such as ABCF are aiming to increase Aboriginal involvement in burning projects, not just in northern Australia, but around the world. Since the first savanna burning project was approved in 2012, savanna burning projects have been directing wealth generated by Aboriginal people back into Aboriginal communities through projects governed under the national ERF and Queensland government’s Land Restoration Fund (LRF).

We once looked at trees and saw only timber. Nowadays we see biodiversity and habitat too. But increasingly, environmentalists, businesses, and land managers alike are looking at trees and seeing a carbon sink —a means of absorbing CO2, the most abundant greenhouse gas, through a process called carbon sequestration. 

Carbon sequestration is the long-term capture and storage of atmospheric carbon dioxide, a process that happens naturally, but is increasingly encouraged and facilitated to mitigate the effects of climate change. 

Carbon is sequestered naturally via many different systems. It is absorbed by: 

• The biosphere: carbon dioxide absorbed by vegetation via photosynthesis. 
• The pedosphere: carbon dioxide absorbed and stored in soil. 
• The hydrosphere: absorption by the ocean, including marine vegetation and phytoplankton. 
• The lithosphere: assimilation and storage of CO2 into the earth’s minerals (rocks). 

As one of the most significant greenhouse gases because of its abundance and rapid growth in the atmosphere, the abatement and storage of carbon dioxide is of key importance in slowing down the effects of climate change.   

Most would be aware of Australia’s highly political carbon crediting and tax schemes over the last decade, which were designed to slow down and create consequence for large carbon emitters. 

Australia’s national carbon crediting model is administered by the Clean Energy Regulator (CER) and involves the exchange of Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs) for the outcomes of verified carbon abatement projects. ACCUs are funded under the Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) and sold from ACCU-generating projects to business wanting to offset their emissions. The market is largely voluntary, with businesses making commitments based on ESG and ‘net zero’ targets that deliver benefits to the planet and their brand. Though some of Australia’s larger emitters are required to offset emissions through the scheme’s Safeguard Mechanism. 

For land managers, carbon sequestration projects can deliver many benefits — not just in the form of ACCUs, but also on-farm and on-Country benefits that lead directly to a boost in productivity. These include:  

• Avoided Deforestation: Prevents the release of carbon dioxide by preserving forested areas earmarked for clearing andprotecting them for up to 100 years 
• Avoided Clearing: A method that sequesters carbon dioxide by breaking with a property’s current or historic clearing regime and providing increased capacity for vegetative carbon absorption.  
• Human Induced Regeneration: A carbon sequestration method that absorbs and stores carbon dioxide by changing land management practices and allowing native vegetation to regrow. 
• Soil Carbon Projects: Use sustainable and regenerative agriculture methods to help remediate soil health and build soil carbon. 
• Savanna Burning Projects: A method that limits carbon dioxide released by unmanaged wildfire through controlled and cooler burns as well as wildfire containment.  
• Beef Herd Management: A way to sequester carbon dioxide through livestock management and changing animal traffic to minimise soil disturbance.  

These methods, as well as the significant carbon abatement benefits and financial benefits to land managers, also are methods that lead to soil improvement, biodiversity enhancement, increased water health, and lead to improvements in productivity, tilling, and irrigation systems.   

GreenCollar’s project management focusses on this stacking of values, and works with the land manager to maximise both the environmental and business benefits that accrue as a result of carbon farming projects. Coupling specialist data monitoring and reporting with site visits, GreenCollar can assist land managers in unlocking the full potential  their land has to offer.