Given the range of benefits that traditional fire management activities tend to generate, investment in traditional fire management by companies towards meeting their corporate social responsibility goals provides a way for companies to generate multiple social, environmental and development benefits in a single proven investment type.

The investment may be through the purchase of offsets and/or as a direct investment. Investment in traditional fire management may in certain circumstances assist the private sector investor towards fulfilment of regulatory obligations.

The range of investment types is illustrated through the Australian experience.  The multi-year investment by ConocoPhillips in the Australian West Arnhem Land Fire Abatement Project (WALFA project) provides an example of a successful traditional fire management project made possible through a voluntary multi year commitment by the private sector to purchase offsets. Inpex is also pursuing investment in savanna burning projects in the Northern Territory of Australia, as a commitment arising from its Ichthys LNG Project. The purchase by Caltex of offsets from the Fish River fire projects provides an example of a corporate entity purchasing savanna burning offsets as part of its obligations within a domestic carbon pricing scheme.

Many models of investment by the private sector may be possible, depending on the goals of the investor and the project context. In some cases, it may be possible for an initial investment to ultimately lead to creation of an independently sustainable business owned and run by a local community, lending long term sustainability to a short term investment.

Those interested in traditional fire management as a possible social responsibility activity are invited to contact the secretariat of the International Savanna Fire Management for further information.