Grant Award View - GA356423

Right-Way Fire management is a nature-based solution for climate (NbS4C) that combines Indigenous ecological knowledge with cutting-edge fire science to burn landscapes in a way that protects wildlife, reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, increases carbon sequestration, and has numerous cultural and socio-economic benefits. This management practice is currently applied at vast scales across Australian savannas, which comprise more than one third of the country. It results in abatement of more than 7 Mt of GHG emissions per year, while delivering a diverse range of ecosystem services with an estimated value of more than USD10.5 billion annually. While carbon abatement is accounted for by registered savanna burning projects using established GHG audit standards, efficient and cost-effective methods for monitoring biodiversity responses to fire management practices are yet to be established. To address this gap, our Indigenous-led project will test, refine, and improve an innovative monitoring approach called Ecological Thresholds analysis. It will also trial and adapt cutting-edge technologies for camera trap AI image processing to provide culturally appropriate and rapid monitoring solutions to ground-truth our novel Ecological Thresholds approach. Through these efforts, we will provide a low-cost, accurate and fit-for-purpose solution to monitor broad-scale biodiversity outcomes following fire management. Our solution will also be well placed for integration into the new Nature Repair Market and will contribute to the alignment of carbon and biodiversity markets in Australia, while also advancing the use of NbS4C to deliver benefits to both people and nature.