Two updated savanna fire management methods entered public consultation on Thursday at the Carbon Market Institute's 2025 Australasian Emissions Reduction Summit - a major step forward for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander-led climate action.

Announced by federal Minister for Climate Change and Energy, Chris Bowen, the proposed methods mark a milestone in the Australian Carbon Credit Unit Scheme - a program supporting projects that either avoid, remove or capture carbon from the atmosphere.

Under the Scheme, participants earn an ACCU (Australian Carbon Credit Unit) for every tonne of carbon dioxide equivalent.

It's part of the federal government's ongoing commitment to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050, and new emission reduction practices like the savanna fire management methods are essential to delivering sustainable environmental outcomes.

The methods were developed through a partnership between the Department of Climate Change, Energy, the Environment and Water (DCCEEW) and First Nations groups such as the Indigenous Carbon Industry Network, Kimberley Land Council, and Arnhem Land Fire Abatement.

They combine decades of First Nations land management expertise with modern science, recognising the critical role of cultural fire practices in reducing emissions and protecting Country.

Jarrad Holmes, Manager at PEC (People, Environment, Carbon) Consultants and advisor to the involved First Nations organisations, believes integrating cultural fire management will deliver more effective outcomes.

"First Nations peoples have been implementing cultural burning practices for more than 60,000 years. By incorporating First Nations perspectives into the method, the method will be better aligned with cultural fire management practices, resulting in projects that deliver improved cultural, carbon, and environmental outcomes," he explained.

"Incorporating First Nations input into the method's design will also result in a method that is practical for land managers to implement, resulting in higher uptake of the Method."

The updated savanna burning methods propose two ways to earn carbon credits: one for avoided emissions and one for carbon sequestration.

Advanced tools such as the Savanna Carbon Accounting Model (SavCAM) enable crediting for both emissions avoided from early dry season burning and carbon removals from enhanced biomass recovery.

Gary Wyatt, Managing Director at Corporate Carbon Group (CCG) - one of Australia's largest and longest-operating savanna fire management project developers - commended the development.

"This is an important milestone for savanna fire management projects, which deliver significant climate, biodiversity and cultural outcomes in remote Australia," he said.

"Credible, updated methods will give confidence to investors, support ongoing community benefits, and strengthen the role of Indigenous-led burning in meeting Australia's climate goals," he continued.

Reflecting on its progression to public consultation, Mr Wyatt said.

"Opening the draft methods for public consultation ensures that a broad range of voices, including Indigenous communities, scientists, and industry stakeholders, can contribute to refining them for lasting impact."

CCG believes that these new methods could unlock millions of additional carbon credits over the next decade, directly targeting Australia's 2030 and 2050 emissions reduction goals.

With broader crediting and increased uptake, the updated methods are expected to expand these benefits by creating more ranger jobs, strengthening cultural burning, and investing in community-led solutions to climate change.

"These methods are a practical pathway to climate integrity and regional resilience... we're proud to support their development and look forward to seeing them finalised," concluded Mr Wyatt.

The revised methods arrive at a pivotal moment for Australia's carbon market.

Recent reforms to the 2023 Safeguard Mechanism will see industrial entities required to surrender between 20 and 30 million carbon credits annually by 2030 to offset their greenhouse gas emissions. These reforms also introduce tighter oversight of project information and enhance support for the independent Integrity Committee, which monitors the scheme.

This rising demand for carbon credits underscores the importance of improved and credible methods to ensure a reliable supply of high-quality credits that support Australia's climate goals.

But the ongoing support of practices like the savanna fire management methods is essential to upholding Australia's climate targets and promoting sustainable land management.