Fire management with community impact

Last updated: 17 March 2026

On a cool June morning in Arnhem Land, Northern Territory, Australia, helicopters hum softly above the vast landscape as Indigenous rangers light small, controlled fires across Country.

These fires are far from destructive. They’re protecting and restoring the land, in a practice passed down through generations that’s now supporting economic opportunities for local Indigenous communities. 

Established by Traditional Owners in 2015, Indigenous-owned Arnhem Land Fire Abatement [NT] Limited (ALFA) works in partnership with 11 Aboriginal ranger groups to protect more than 86,000 square kilometres of Aboriginal freehold land in the Northern Territory – an area nearly double the size of Denmark.

“We use fire for many reasons: not only for conservation and management, but also as a healing process for land, for people, for native plants and animals,” Dean Yibarbuk, ALFA’s Director, said. 

“Fire is a tool that we have used from the beginning, from the deep past until today.”

Using proven savanna fire management methods, ALFA is helping reduce carbon emissions, protect biodiversity and strengthen communities – vital work that's funded by selling high-integrity Australian carbon credit units (ACCUs).

What is savanna fire management?

With long, hot dry seasons, highly flammable vegetation, and destructive storms unleashing gale-force winds and lightning, Northern Australia’s tropical landscape is one of the most fire‑prone ecosystems in the world. 

For generations, Indigenous Peoples in the region have managed the risk of catastrophic wildfires by using a savanna fire management method of “mosaic” burning. 

Using Traditional knowledge of seasons and the environment, people would light fires in the early dry season as they moved through their clan estates, to manage Country as well as for ritual purposes. These fires control the intensity and extent of fires in different seasons and in different ecological habitats and landscapes, while protecting important ecosystems and cultural areas. This reduced the risk of late‑season bushfires that would burn hotter, spread faster and create significantly more greenhouse gases like methane and nitrous oxide. 

Today, Aboriginal rangers in Arnhem Land support Traditional Owners to carry out planned burns during the cooler part of the dry season, using a mix of Traditional knowledge and modern tools like helicopters, incendiary machines, satellite mapping and GIS technology. 

“When we do it in the early burn seasons, there is no damage done to Country,” Mardbalk Senior Ranger Nicholas Hunter said.

“It doesn’t hit the treetops. It doesn’t wipe out our bush honey or birds nesting in the trees.

“It’s actually good for nature when we do these early burns.” 

Research from the West Arnhem Land Fire Abatement (WALFA) project, which started in 2006, found that regular savanna burning measurably reduces late-season wildfires, thus reducing greenhouse gas emissions as well. WALFA became the blueprint for the national Savanna Burning Method, which allows land managers to earn ACCUs. 

ALFA earns ACCUs if their projects are successful in avoiding emissions compared to their baseline period. Companies like ours can then buy these credits to help offset our emissions, which helps fund ALFA’s environmental projects and suite of social investment programs. 

The process is fully transparent, reported through public tools like NAFI and SavBAT.

“The fire helps give the next generation of trees, bush medicines and bush fruits a chance to grow,” Mardbalk ranger, Jeffrey Simon, said. 

“More animals are coming back now after the early burning season has started.

“It makes all of us feel really proud. We are looking forward to getting more Rangers on the ground.”  

The comparative maps below demonstrate the effectiveness of ALFA fire projects in re-establishing fire regimes led by cool, strategic early dry season burns – reflecting customary fire management practices in Arnhem Land.

Building a community-led legacy

ALFA’s model puts Traditional Owners at the center of decision‑making. 

Traditional Owners are the owners and members of the ALFA company with Board positions reflecting different wards across the project areas. ALFA’s Board of 18 maintains a strong cultural governance and younger members are starting to step into these roles, helping shape the future of fire management. The Board is also focused on mentoring more women into leadership – growing from one female Board member 10 years ago to 7 (of 18) today.

Ranger groups co‑design burn plans with Elders, integrate Traditional seasonal calendars and knowledge of the land, and protect sacred sites, communications towers, homelands, and community assets with strategic fire breaks. 

The income ALFA earns from ACCUs funds its fire management projects, as well as programs like asset protection, training and equipment – from drip torches and boats to vehicles and helicopter contracts. It also supports infrastructure upgrades so rangers can live and work on Country, moving from seasonal deployment to year‑round presence. And rangers use ACCU funding to monitor illegal fishing, establish native seed nurseries, clean up marine debris, manage invasive species like buffalos, and survey turtle nesting sites and other important species.

Rangers complete accredited courses in skills like aerial burning, fireground safety, wildfire response, planned burning and working safely around aircraft. The training is hands-on, offered in multiple languages, and uses small groups to make learning practical and accessible. 

ALFA’s partner ranger groups also run programs to bring children to Country parallel to their mainstream education. Rangers take groups of school students to Country every second week to learn from Elders, see how the rangers work, and learn to care for Country themselves. 

21-year-old Sonny Wauchope transitioned to a career with the rangers after being part of these workshops. 

“After school, I told everyone I wanted to be a Ranger,” Sonny said. 

“It helps me clear my head, go camping and stay out of trouble.

“I wanted to look after Country and take care of our beaches. And here I am!”