Australia’s savanna fire management method has been further developed under the Australian Carbon Credit Unit (ACCU) scheme, with updated settings designed to strengthen integrity and support the continued scale of pastoral and Indigenous-led carbon projects.
The changes, approved by the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water, introduce more rigorous baselining, updated modelling and refined carbon accounting. This aligns with the Department’s latest scientific understanding of fire behaviour in savanna landscapes.
The revisions also include strengthened risk management settings, such as expanded buffers and updated technical guidance.
The revisions bring Australia’s savanna fire management method into closer alignment with Australia’s international reporting obligations under the Paris Agreement. The revisions also improve consistency with emerging global carbon market frameworks. The aim is to deliver more transparent and defensible abatement outcomes, while reducing the risk of over-crediting.
Gary Wyatt, Executive Director at Corporate Carbon Group, explained how the latest changes build on exisitng method within the ACCU.
“This is about strengthening what is already one of the most established and scaled methods in the ACCU scheme,” Wyatt said.
“Savanna fire management has been delivering emissions reductions and land management outcomes across millions of hectares for more than a decade. These updates improve the integrity of the practice and provide greater confidence in the outcomes being generated.”
Savanna fire management method projects use early dry season burning to reduce the intensity and spread of late season wildfires, lowering greenhouse gas emissions while supporting biodiversity and cultural land management practices. The method is widely applied across northern Australia, with projects operating over more than 34 million hectares.
A significant proportion of these projects are Indigenous-led, contributing to regional employment and supporting traditional land management. Pastoral operators have also adopted the method as a supplementary income stream, improving farm resilience and supporting regional economies.
Wyatt said the updated framework reflects a broader shift in carbon markets toward performance-based methodologies and more robust measurement of outcomes.
“As carbon markets continue to evolve, there is an increasing focus on integrity, transparency and measurable outcomes,” he said.
“These updates position the savanna fire management method strongly within that context and support its continued role as a credible, large-scale solution.”
These updates follow increased focus on land management and fire risk, particularly as forecasts point to more challenging hot and dry conditions to come later in the year.
According to Corporate Carbon Group, the revised method provides a foundation for further growth, with the potential to unlock up to $1 billion in annual economic activity across suitable regions.
For more information about savanna fire management methods, visit the Clean Energy Regulator website.
