This document discusses emerging carbon economies and savanna fire abatement projects in northern Australia. It describes the landscape and cultural heritage of northern Australia and significant development pressures. It highlights several existing projects that aim to shift fire regimes at large scales, reintroduce traditional burning practices, and accurately measure greenhouse gas emissions from savanna fires. These projects establish partnerships between Indigenous groups, government organizations, and private funders. They have helped reduce emissions and shift the timing of fires compared to baseline periods. The document advocates for policies and an industry structure that promotes Indigenous involvement and benefits from carbon projects on their lands.

1. http://riel.cdu.edu.au
Emerging carbon economies
in northern Australia
Andrew Campbell
Shaun Ansell, Rowan Foley
TerrahGuymala, Geoff Lipsett-Moore
Andrew Roberts

2. The local coNText
place-based distinctiveness
• Relatively intact, vast landscapes and seascapes
− the largest network of free-flowing rivers in the world
• Extraordinary cultural heritage, ancient and contemporary
• Rich opportunities & intense development pressures
− more than $1 trillion of resources projects in the pipeline
• Strategic national significance on the edge of Asia
• Darwin closer to Jakarta, Singapore and KL than to Sydney
− Closest Australian university (JCU) is 2500km away

3. Savannas burn every year
• Dry season - highly flammable landscape
• Exacerbated by introduced weeds, especially Gamba Grass
• Fire emits Greenhouse gases  CO2, methane, N20
Photo Sam Setterfield

4. WALFA – savanna fire abatement scheme
• Western Arnhemland – 25,000 km2 (6 million acres)
– Significant biodiversity hot spot
– Significant fire problem
• Unique partnership between traditional owners, NT
and Commonwealth Governments and private funders
• Aims
– Shift fire regimes at landscape scales
– Reintroduce traditional burning regime, increase early dry
season fires and patchiness
– Accurately quantify savanna GHG emission factors
– Develop remote sensing techniques to map fires and
calculate emissions

8. Savanna burning – 2011 fire scars

10. West Arnhem Land Fire Abatement Project
80%
70% EDS
(a) Seasonality of 60% LDS
Proportion burnt
burning 50% Total
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010
700
(b) GHG Emissions Pre-project baseline
Emissions t.CO2-e * 1000
600
500
Conoco Phillips $20m 400
Inpex $37m 300
200
Biodiversity Fund $??
100
Other investors?
0
1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010

12. Before After

13. The orange, red to pink areas represent the significant
fire abatement opportunities
(where we have the greatest frequency of late dry season wildfires)

15. Conservation
Country Culture
Community Carbon
Careers

16. Fish River Fire Project

17. The orange, red to pink areas represent the significant
fire abatement opportunities
Fish
River
Station

18. 90.00%
Fish River Fire Project Emissions Performance
% AREA EDS
80.00%
70.00% %AREA LDS
60.00%
% Area burnt
50.00%
40.00%
30.00%
20.00%
10.00%
0.00%
2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Base line Fire
Avg Project
Base Line Period Fire Project Implemented Avg
37,000 tonnes emissions
20,000
tonnes
17,000 tonnes emissions
abatement

19. Rowan Foley
General Manager
Aboriginal Carbon Fund
(not for profit company)

20. a. National Indigenous Climate Change (NICC)
Forum held in Alice Springs March 2011
 attended by over 50 Indigenous leaders, Land
Councils, DCCEE and corporates
b. Indigenous delegation @ Senate Inquiry into CFI
c. Indigenous Negotiation Roundtables in
Canberra, Melbourne and Townsville with the
Hon. Mark Dreyfus (Parliamentary Secretary for
Climate Change)

22. a. $22m Indigenous Carbon Farming Fund,
b. Indigenous seat on the $1.7b Land Sector Carbon Board,
c. $29m of funding from first round of Biodiversity Fund
d. Indigenous Negotiation Roundtables
e. Recognition of native title rights and interests in CFI
f. Amendment of ALP policy
g. Development of the Indigenous Co-benefits Criteria and
Requirements to inform the Development of Australia’s CFI
h. Participation in the UN Workshop on Climate Change
Mitigation with Local Communities and Indigenous
Peoples.

23.  Enrichment Planting Methodology Development
 Steering Committee:Kimberley Training
Institute, RIRDC, CSIRO, RM Williams, NT Parks &
Wildlife, Allens and Commonwealth Bank
Gubinge (Kakadu plum) propagation Broome

24.  Blue Carbon Methodology Working Group:
AIMS, GBRMPA, QLD Dept of
Fisheries, Balkanu, TSRA, Tierra Mar
consulting, Alloporus Environmental, Allens and
Charles Darwin University
Torres Strait Regional Sea Claim

25.  Australian Carbon Rangelands Enterprise (ACRE)
Rangelands Methodology
 Fauna and Flora International, RM Williams
Agricultural, Canopy, Aboriginal Carbon Fund, NorthWest
Carbon, Do-Tank and Bush Heritage

26. 1. A Fair Carbon Australia system to mitigate risk and promote a
fair price for a genuine product
2. An Aboriginal Carbon Standard tool so community based
Traditional Owner and/or ranger groups can undertake 99% of
project development and auditing
3. An annual Indigenous Carbon and Co-benefits Investment Forum
4. Indigenous and environmental co-benefits promoted as integral
to all carbon projects for a premium price
5. The regulatory role of Australian Government is kept
minimal, allowing Indigenous land and sea owning groups to
negotiate a fair price within a mutually agreed framework

27. 6. National Reserve System modified to allow land owners
the ability to engage in both carbon and cattle markets
within a conservation framework
7. State and Territory Governments allow Indigenous
groups to trade ACCU’s from their land = real jobs in a
real economy
8. Public register detailing all companies, institutions and
government agencies source ACCU offsets from TOs
9. Indigenous Negotiation Roundtable provides direct
advice and guidance to Ministers and officials
10. Indigenous carbon trading offices in Europe
and/or Asia in 10 years.

28.  Fledgling industry will make mistakes
 Lack of industry standards (focus on govt regulation)
 Non-Indigenous groups accessing Indigenous funding
 Too many ‘carbon baggers’
 Project failures damage our brand
 Risks and rate of returns to investors not well understood
 Industry overheads too high,
not enough professionals operating at competitive rates
 Not enough carbon agreements in place with 500
companies
 Cost shifting by governments

31. For more info:
http://riel.cdu.edu.au
www.nailsma.org.au
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