In recent years, satellite imagery shows the contrast between the burning patterns in occupied and traditionally managed country and large areas that remain unpopulated and unmanaged. Although many of the most ideal Aboriginal fires are too small to show up on satellite imagery, the observable patterns reflect a common practice of burning early in the dry season, when fires are unlikely to travel long distances, to achieve a mosaic of burnt and unburnt country. This prevents to a large degree the extensive, uncontrolled wildfires that are commonly observed in unpopulated areas in the late dry season and allows for containment of deliberately lit hot fires for hunting later in the year.

In the Northern Land Council's area, the most difficult lands for fire management are unpopulated areas and areas where landowners have limited finance to support land management programs. The Western Arnhem Land plateau is one of several large areas where depopulation is a major obstacle to effective fire management. The escarpment is very important ecologically as well as culturally and, in parts, includes many important fire sensitive species and communities.

Landowners from the plateau are now scattered in communities around the area and for a number of reasons they have been unable to resettle the plateau country and bring it back under traditional management. Fire maps derived from satellite imagery over the past few years illustrate the fire problem: to the north and north east more traditional patterns of fire are observable in resettled areas and in the south and south east there is almost no early burning in some years and in others very large and very hot late dry season fires burn for weeks at a time.

Working with the Jawoyn Association and Bushfires Council NT, the Northern Land Council's Caring for Country Unit has instituted a regular Dry Season walk into the western Arnhem Land Plateau to re-establish effective fire management on the plateau. Much of the country is rugged and impossible to get into by vehicle - the main factor which has left much of the plateau unpopulated for several decades.

In recent years, late dry season wildfires have swept into the plateau from the south-east causing serious damage to fire sensitive plants and plant communities. A few decades ago when there were still people walking around on the plateau, traditional early burning made late and large hot fires very unlikely.

Senior landowners have been showing younger people the traditional walking tracks of the plateau since 1999, with the information carefully documented via both video and audio recordings. The project has involved people from a number of plateau language groups: Gundjeihmi, Kunwinjku Mayali, Kundedjnjenkmi, Jawoyn, Dalabon and Kune.

The first walk in the tracks project took place in early March 1999 when a party led by Jack Djandomerr from Marlkawo outstation walked from Marlkawo to Kamarrkawarn Outstation, a distance of about 35 kilometres through rugged country. Since then there has been a walk every year, and it is hoped the example could prompt the establishment of similar fire management programs elsewhere in the Top End.

There seems to be great potential in pursuing fire management strategies that integrate and involve the broad range of land use activities and land users in the business of fire management. There are many users and potential users of Aboriginal land - miners, buffalo catchers and tourism operators as well as landowners to name a few. It seems essential to develop the general understanding that a basic condition of land use is an agreement to participate in landscape management of fire and other key areas such as weeds, erosion and feral animal control.