Northern Savanna Project

Project Benefits
The project provides substantial cultural, social, and environmental co-benefits. For years, the fire management program has mitigated late dry season wildfire risk, conserved vegetation and animal species, protected wetlands, and controlled weeds. Burning off the excess ground vegetation reduces fuel loads and promotes healthier vegetation growth underneath.

Uncontrolled wildfires that would otherwise occur uncontrollably can devastate entire ecosystems, destroying habitats, food sources and breeding sites, and in some cases, causing wildlife to disappear from the area entirely.

In a region where job opportunities are limited and the population is roughly two-thirds Indigenous, the project plays a vital role in supporting local employment and cultural land management. It provides jobs and training in modern technologies while also fostering collaboration with neighbouring Indigenous mobs.

The fire management techniques used in the project combine modern approaches with cultural burning practices passed down for over 60,000 years. These practices create a mosaic of controlled burns, known as fire scars, that help reduce the risk of intense wildfires. Through this project, Traditional Owners are not only returning to Country but also reintroducing traditional ways of managing and caretaking of land that has been theirs since the beginning. Planned burns are undertaken each year before the end of July, using a combination of aerial and on-ground burning methods. The operations are carried out by Alka Bawar staff and subcontractors as needed.