The tropical savannas of the Northern Territory (NT) are globally significant.
They represent one of the world’s last extensive and largely intact natural landscapes, rich in distinctive, diverse and fascinating communities of plants and animals. As Country, they are the lifeblood and foundation for diverse Indigenous communities, who maintain responsibility and care for the lands and waters, with knowledge and practice that has been honed over generations and persisted for millennia. The savannas are a cherished home and part of the essence of the lifestyle of Territorians, and the nature of this region is a fundamental drawcard for a significant tourist industry.
Despite the tremendous ecological values of the NT savannas, they are insufficiently protected and increasingly threatened. Against a global backdrop of calls for greater conservation efforts and outcomes, national commitments to a ‘Nature Positive’ economy and no new extinctions, and the critical priority to constrain climate change, the rate and scale of destruction of our savannas is escalating. Our biodiversity—and the fabric, function, health and potential of the land—is being jeopardised.