West Arnhem Land Fire Abatement: Indigenous Fire Management for Carbon Credits

ALFA (NT) Limited is an entirely Aboriginal-owned, not-for-profit carbon business created by Arnhem Land Traditional Owners in 2013 in the Northern Territory, Australia. Five Indigenous ranger groups, including Djelk, Warddeken, Mimal, Jawoyn and Adjumarlarl, use traditional early-dry-season 'cool' burning across more than 80,000 square kilometres of Aboriginal-owned land to prevent the destructive late-season wildfires that release huge amounts of carbon. The resulting emissions reductions are sold as Australian Carbon Credit Units (ACCUs), with proceeds reinvested into ranger jobs, land management and community development, including funding for the Nawarddeken Academy. Since its creation, ALFA has generated more than 4.8 million ACCUs, making it one of the largest producers of savanna-burning carbon credits in Australia.