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An urgent need exists for the development of principles for the sustainable management of the savannas of northern Australia. Based on current and recent research we propose five principles for the sustainable grazing management of these systems. These are (i) conservative use of the grass layer with utilisation levels of 15 -25 % of annual pasture growth (ii) even utilisation of pasture at the paddock scale to prevent localised overgrazing (iii) regular wet season spelling to maintain pasture vigour and condition (iv) prescribed fire to manage savanna structure and improve rangeland condition and (v) managing for biodiversity by protecting areas of high conservation value. We suggest that these principles can be applied using relatively simple systems of grazing management.