It is more than time to integrate indigenous land management into fire prevention, according to a panel focused on re-imagining Australia.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
The National Library of Australia and The Conversation facilitated a discussion on Friday with social scientist Petra Buergelt, planning expert Barbara Norman and Border-based animal ecologist Dale Nimmo about the 2019-20 fire season.
Dr Nimmo, an Associate Professor with Charles Sturt University, agreed with the panel a new approach was needed in land management.
"Indigenous people have a lot to teach us about how we live in this country, and one of those things is the nuance of different approaches to landscape management in different types of ecosystems, rather than trying to apply a really broad-brush," he said.
"A prime example of that is the idea we can apply a target of five per cent burning, for example, across all ecosystems ... rather than thinking carefully about what is the place of fire in this ecosystem, and how much is enough."
Dr Nimmo said just because green might be sprouting in fire-damaged landscapes, those environments were farm from being restored.
"It will be a long recovery for Australian wildlife and I just hope we will be committed along the full course," he said.
"We have lots of narrowly-distributed species in those fire-grounds.
"They're the ones that to me, demand the most urgent attention."
Dr Nimmo, who undertook his PhD on how animals respond to fire, is among the experts informing the federal government's panel on wildlife and threatened species bushfire recovery.
"As part of the work with the panel, we put together a list of 119 species we thought were most at risk," he told The Border Mail.
"Some of the species that came on the list for our region were the greater glider, the Alpine bog skink, and the broad-toothed rat.
"The impact varies; those species that use rocks and burrows have a better chance of getting away from the fire.
IN OTHER NEWS:
"A lot of information is still a while off before we get really good assessments."
Dr Nimmo pointed out to the panel that fire compounded other risks to at-risk species, with feral cats being known to detect a fire from 10 kilometres away and moving to the fire's edge to hunt.
"One thing I hope is that the fires have jolted some people into accepting the reality of climate change," he said.
"I hope we can with more humility learn from other cultures, in particular indigenous Australians, about how we can live in a better way in this land, more in line with the ecosystems that are here."
