FIRE MANAGEMENT

Fire has shaped the Australian vegetation and environment for millennia. Much of the typical vegetation of the country, like the dominant tree types in its drier forests and woodlands, are highly adapted to coping with seasonal fires. Many species, such as Banskia, in fact, require periodic fires to set seed and regenerate. However, despite its advantages, fires cause much damage in Australia's forests every year.

There is still a great deal of argument about the appropriate way to manage fires in the natural ecosystems. However, most ecologists are agreed on one point: the most damaging effects are from fires that are too frequent rather than too hot. Fires that are too frequent may lead to a simplified vegetation of similar structure, with a consequent loss of biodiversity.

The problem is a basic lack of research into how best to manage fires in any natural habitat. Realising this, WWF-Australia has for many years funded research and management projects relating to fires. Much of the organisation's conservation work on endangered animals is also concerned with the impact of fires - the ecology of such endangered species as the Golden-shouldered Parrot and Gouldian Finch is greatly affected by fires. WWF's work will enable a greater understanding of how best to manage fires in the interests of all native species.

A practical demonstration of how destructive fires can be was the 1994 bush fire in Port Stephens, north of Sydney, that burnt 3,000 hectares of prime koala habitat, besides killing 46 of the animals. Following these fires, WWF funded a project to study the success of relocation and rehabilitation efforts for one of Australia's national treasures.

WWF has also supported work on the germination biology of several rare plants in the Sydney region which looked at how the plants studied were likely to respond to fires. The organisation plans to keep monitoring these plants and use this research in the future to ensure their survival in case of any such calamity.

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Copyright 1996, The World Wide Fund For Nature