Can the Right sort of Fire reduce the amount of Carbon being released into the atmosphere?

Photo Barry J Hunter

We know in general that the right sort of fire done at the right time of the year can be good for the environment, we have seen recently, fire at the wrong times of the year can be catastrophic. We all know that the Australia environment has long adapted to fire over millions of years, and more recently (at least 60,000 years) to a fire regime implemented by the first Australians. We know that fire can be both good and bad for ecology and biodiversity depending on fire intensity, frequency, and timing amongst a few of the variables. We also know that fire can be a tool for land management or an obstacle. But can the right sort of fire help us reduce the level of carbon entering the atmosphere and can it be a tool in carbon reduction?

Well if you don't already know, you maybe surprised to learn that fire is already both of these things. A mechanism for carbon reduction and it has demonstrated reduced levels of green house gas emissions into the atmosphere. How can this be so you may ask?

Maserini et al (2016) explains that, "in order to reduce GHG emissions from savanna burning, the Australian government has developed and approved a Kyoto compliant savanna controlled burning methodology—the first legal instrument of this kind at a global level—under its Emission Reduction Fund. However, this approved methodology is currently only applicable to nine vegetation fuel types across northern parts of Australia in areas which receive on average over 600 mm rainfall annually, covering only 15.4% of the total land area in Australia". 

According to the Aboriginal Carbon Foundation Website In 2018, across Northern Australia, there were approximately 78 savanna burning projects, of which approximately one third were managed by Aboriginal ranger groups. 4,078,963 Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCU) have been produced to date, with 70% of these ACCU being produced by Aboriginal savanna burning projects. ABCFoundation website also outlined that "The first savanna project was approved by the Clean Energy Regulator in October 2012, the Fish River project in the Northern Territory. All up 23 savanna projects have been approved with Indigenous control or significant involvement".

In short some very smart people had measured that a large late season (Sept - Dec) fire can emit an enormous amount of green houses gases, so if this was managed by implementing 'cool' burns during the cooler month (April - August) then the level of emissions into the atmosphere may decrease significantly.

Maserini et al (2016) explain that "In Australia, tropical savanna cover an area of about 2 million km2, over a quarter of the Australian continent, and represent about 12% of the world extent of tropical savanna ecosystems. Subtropical savanna are also patchy in their distribution; hence, their overall extent is even greater. Savanna fire is one of the major contributors of national GHG (Green House Gases) emissions in Australia, accounting about 3% of annual emissions reportable under the Kyoto Protocol". 

The Clean Energy Regulator; the government organisation which manages and records Australia emissions efforts further outlines that; "the savanna fire management—emissions avoidance method credits activities that reduce the emission of greenhouse gases from fire in savanna's in northern Australia, through a reduction in the frequency and extent of late dry season fires. Annual planned burning is a required fire management activity under the method" 

The scientific measurements and formulas behind this are detailed and can be found under the savanna burning methodology page of the Clean Energy Regulator. There you will also get an understanding of how carbon is priced.

But how did this come about? Well, it developed from the activities that had been continuous in Western Arnhemland for thousands of years. Whitehead et al explains that "in the late 1990s, Aboriginal Traditional Owners from western and central Arnhem Land and non-Aboriginal scientists began talking about fire in the landscape. These discussions led to the development of a vision of people living on healthy country, and ultimately to the innovative program of fire management now known as the Western Arnhem Land Fire Abatement (WALFA) project. The WALFA project commenced formal operation in 2006 and was a partnership between the five Aboriginal ranger groups with responsibility for that part of Western Arnhem Land, the Northern Territory Government, the Northern Land Council, Northern Territory-based research scientists and ConocoPhillips (a global oil and natural gas company). The goal was to reinstate Aboriginal-led fire management regimes over the remote Arnhem Plateau, in part to offset greenhouse gas emissions from ConocoPhillips Liquefied Natural Gas plant in Darwin Harbour. Later with the advent of the Commonwealth Government’s Car- bon Credits (Carbon Farming Initiative) Act 2011 (CFI Act) and subsequent Emissions Reduction Fund (ERF) legislation, the WALFA project became the landscape-scale model upon which the approved savanna burning method was based." 

There are now a proliferation of projects across northern Australia, from Cape York through western and Eastern Arnhem Land and across the Kimberly in north west WA. 

Lipsett-Moore et al (2018) point out that Savanna burning projects account for 7.2% (191.7 MtCO2-e yr−1) of Australia’s ERF contract portfolio, and 23 Indigenous projects account for 74% of the total potential savanna burning abatement. This is expected to provide significant incomes to Indigenous landowners over the next 7–10 years (Lipsett-More et al 2018).

Since then there has been a mountain of scientific figures that show how these projects across northern Australia had help reduce the level of carbon and other greenhouse gasses into the atmosphere. Again accord to Aboriginal Carbon Foundation Website "there are now some 78 savanna fire projects across Northern Australia that had been approved by the Clean Energy Regulator. 

So this is important to note that this methodology has also been adopted by pastoralist and other land holders now the majority of the projects are run by pastoralist across northern Australia. Why? well for the simple reason that it provides an alternative income stream and it makes sense as long as you have the vegetation within the rainfall zone they shown that they can benefit from this approach as well. It is also important to recognise that these types of projects have produced small business, employment, training skill development, governance as a few outcomes that have benefited land holders. 'The WALFA project, and its successors, delivers improved livelihoods for Indigenous Australians in remote areas where income generation options are extremely limited' (Lipsett-More et al 2018)

However it is important to also recognise that while there are economic outcomes the benefits to individuals, community and culture has also been immeasurable. People having the ability to be on country conducting an activity as their ancestor would have done before them. Fire practitioner from the Waddeken Ranger Dean Yirabuk explained that "Fire is, and has always been, the most important tool that Aboriginal people in Arnhem Land have utilised for managing their country (Yibarbuk et al. 2001)". 

While the Key points from Savanna fire and carbon forum Feb 27th and 28th 2018 outlined that;

• "Positive environmental, social and cultural outcomes from Indigenous fire management projects across northern Australia were repeatedly emphasised as the core benefits. Market based income is seen as an opportunity to facilitate these benefits but not the primary reason why people are doing this work.
• The importance of respecting Indigenous knowledge and aspirations requires the use of a ‘both-ways’ approaches, which includes mixing scientific and traditional knowledges and practices, having aligned goals, and looking for the same outcomes.”

Ansell and Swain (2018) further explain that "the strength is fire management as a mechanism to get people back out on country, fire walks, camps, and a land management practice that multiple generations have interest in". 

So the benefits of this practice can be seen economically, socially, culturally and environmentally. Importantly this is a key demonstration of how a traditional knowledge system can form the bases for a scientific methodology that not only has changed peoples lives of those employed to do this work in northern Australia; it has impacted globally through the reduction of green house gases. 

I want to acknowledge the work of Rowan Foley CEO of the Aboriginal Carbon Foundation and his foresight to provide a mechanism for supporting traditional owners in this fledgling industry. He has had great vision has lead to immeasurable growth in this support. Also to Lisa McMurray for her patient and hardwork in the development of Core Benefits Framework, which can be used to verify those benefits I have outlined above. Also to the rest of the team who are the engine, Lauren Bowyer, Mark Gasson, Shilo Villafore and special mention to Billy Gordon for more information go to https://www.abcfoundation.org.au

I also want to acknowledge those who lead the way in developing this WALFA and ALFA rangers and traditional owners. 

thanks for taking the time to read.

Barry J Hunter

References; 

Aboriginal Carbon Foundation Website 2020

Lipsett-More G.J, Wolff N.H, Game E.T Emissions mitigation opportunities for Savanna Countries from early dry season fire management. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-018-04687-7

Ansell J, Evans J, Adjumarllarl Rangers, Arafura Swamp Rangers, Djelk Rangers, Jawoyn Rangers, Mimal Rangers, Numbulwar Numburindi Rangers, Warddeken Rangers, Yirralka Rangers and Yugul Mangi Rangers. Nov 2019 Contemporary Aboriginal savanna burning projects in Arnhem Land: a regional description and analysis of the fire management aspirations of Traditional Owners

Clean Energy Regulator home page  (8th Jan 2020) http://www.cleanenergyregulator.gov.au/ERF/Pages/

Northern Australia Savanna Fire and Carbon report 2018 Melbourne, Vic., Australia)

Ansell J, Swain R (2018) Controbution and Partipaction of Indigenous Fire Projects Within Savanna Burning Industry - Presentation to the  Northern Australia Savanna Fire and Carbon Workshop Feb 2018

Maserini T.N, Readon-Smith K, Griffith G, Apan A, 2016 Carbon Balance and Management in www.CBMjournal.biomedcentral.com

Whitehead PJ, Russell-Smith J, Cooke PM (2009) Fire management futures: new northern directions for environmental and socioeconomic benefit. In ‘Culture, ecology and economy of savanna fire management in northern Australia: rekindling the Wurrk tradition’. (Eds J Russell- Smith, P Whitehead, P Cooke) pp. 379–394. (CSIRO Publishing:

Yibarbuk D, Whitehead PJ, Russell-Smith J, Jackson D, Godjuwa C, Fisher A, Cooke P, Choquenot D, Bowman DMJS (2001) Fire ecology and Aboriginal land management in central Arnhem Land, northern Aus- tralia: a tradition of ecosystem management. Journal of Biogeography 28, 325–343. doi:10.1046/J.1365-2699.2001.00555.X