The Times Australia
The Times World News

.

Changing native vegetation laws to allow burning on private land is good fire management

  • Written by Gabriel Crowley, Adjunct associate professor in geography, University of Adelaide
Changing native vegetation laws to allow burning on private land is good fire management

Bushfires cause catastrophic biodiversity loss[1] across Australia. In the Black Summer of 2019–20 alone, 103,400 square kilometres of habitat went up in flames.

The irony is, laws to protect native vegetation did nothing to prevent this destruction. This is because, in most states, these laws make it hard for private landholders to burn on their own land, meaning more fuel is left to feed bushfires.

We have a chance to change that now in South Australia, where the Native Vegetation Act[2] is under review.

With greater knowledge and understanding of the role of fire in the Australian landscape, we can take better care of native vegetation on private land as well as public parks. There’s a strong case to be made for private landholders to conduct their own cool burns, for dual purposes of reducing fuel load and restoring ecosystems.

Fire can be good for biodiversity

A wide range of species will benefit from good fire management, which creates a patchwork of different ages of vegetation.

Some plant and animal species are found only in long-unburnt vegetation[3]. Others need recently burnt areas. Many shrubs only occur in areas burnt in the past 15–20 years[4].

Fire is also needed to maintain food supplies for many threatened animals. For example, the glossy black-cockatoo[5] feeds almost exclusively on the seeds of drooping sheoak trees. But seeds become scarce in long-unburnt vegetation.

Breaking up the landscape should also mean fewer animals will be caught in each fire, because they have places to which they can escape.

A long unburnt hillside littered with dead tree logs
Dead trees in long unburnt drooping sheoak forest do not provide food for glossy black-cockatoos. Gabriel Crowley

Managing fire at landscape scale

Proactive burning can reduce wildfire risk under most conditions[6], when managed at the whole-of-landscape scale[7]. This requires everyone to manage fire on their own land in a coordinated way. Such an approach emulates Indigenous land management and was partially adopted by land managers in southern Australia until the 1970s[8].

Private landholders are no longer allowed to contribute to these efforts, perhaps because the community distrusts both farmers and fire[9]. However, without landholder involvement, fire management capacity is severely limited.

For instance, National Parks and Wildlife Service South Australia’s Burning on Private Land program[10] has managed only 28 hectares of fuel reduction burns[11] on Kangaroo Island since Black Summer. Given forest fuel loads can reach dangerous levels six years after bushfire[12], the next big one may not be far away.

Climate change means catastrophic bushfires will happen more frequently[13]. Addressing this escalating risk requires allowing landholders to manage fire hazards on their own land.

A desolate landscape after intense bushfire in Flinders Chase National Park on Kangaroo Island.
The best way to stop devastating wildfires from burning vast areas is to put out any fires burning in the days leading up to periods of catastrophic weather. This is most achievable if fuel loads are managed across the landscape. Gabriel Crowley

The devastating Black Summer wildfires

The Black Summer fires killed an estimated three billion animals[14] and drove at least 20 threatened species[15] closer to extinction.

Human lives were lost, livestock perished. More than half of Kangaroo Island burned, including areas that had not seen fire since the 1930s. Along with 96% of Flinders Chase National Park[16], about 40,000 hectares of native vegetation burned on privately owned land.

While nothing could prevent the spread of fires under catastrophic weather conditions[17], many of Black Summer’s fires started earlier. They may have been better controlled, or stopped altogether before conditions got out of hand, if the vegetation was not so thick and connected. The very small amount of fuel reduction being undertaken on private land is inadequate.

Map of Kangaroo Island showing almost a third of the native vegetation burnt during the Black Summer fires was on private land Almost a third of the native vegetation burnt on Kangaroo Island during the Black Summer of 2019-20 was on private land. Gabriel Crowley, using SA Government data

Burning does not equal land clearing

In 1985, SA introduced the first laws in Australia[18] to protect native vegetation. These effectively stopped[19] the widespread clearance of native vegetation in the state.

However, they have done little to maintain or restore its ecological condition. Since the laws were passed, we have learned more about the effects of fire in Australian landscapes[20]. We now know proactive use of fire can make vegetation more complex[21] and biodiverse[22]. So, fire needs to be actively managed, not excluded[23].

While well-intended, the existing legislation discourages burning by private landholders, making it almost impossible for them to take responsibility for reducing fuel loads on their own land. This is because South Australia’s Native Vegetation Act[24] defines all burning as clearance[25].

What do other states do?

Both New South Wales[26] and Western Australia[27] also classify burning as clearing. In Victoria, approval for burning on private land is managed at the local government level[28] and appears to have no provision for ecological burning.

Elsewhere, burning is only considered to be clearance when it is intentionally used for the purpose of destroying native vegetation, as in Tasmania[29], Queensland[30] and the Northern Territory[31], or remnant trees, in the case of the Australian Capital Territory[32].

All states and territories allow exemptions for the purpose of bushfire prevention or fire fighting. None has incorporated fire management for ecological purposes into their native vegetation legislation.

An opportunity for legislative change

So far, proposed changes[33] to the SA Native Vegetation Act[34] have missed an opportunity to reduce wildfire risk across the state.

This could be fixed by simply changing the definition of clearance to exclude fire used for ecological purposes. This is effectively the case in Queensland, where fire is only considered to be clearing when it is specifically used to destroy native vegetation[35].

SA’s Native Vegetation Council would then need to provide guidance on how landholders should burn to both reduce fuel loads and benefit biodiversity. This should extend the current advice[36] to provide the type of detailed ecological and operational information that is provided in Queensland[37].

Changing South Australia’s Native Vegetation Act to facilitate fire management by landholders is one step we can take to minimise the risk of catastrophic wildfires. The next steps are trusting landholders to take this responsibility seriously and help them do so. This would bring South Australia back to the forefront of native vegetation management in Australia.

References

  1. ^ biodiversity loss (doi.org)
  2. ^ Native Vegetation Act (www.legislation.sa.gov.au)
  3. ^ long-unburnt vegetation (theconversation.com)
  4. ^ 15–20 years (doi.org)
  5. ^ glossy black-cockatoo (doi.org)
  6. ^ reduce wildfire risk under most conditions (doi.org)
  7. ^ whole-of-landscape scale (doi.org)
  8. ^ until the 1970s (theconversation.com)
  9. ^ community distrusts both farmers and fire (doi.org)
  10. ^ Burning on Private Land program (www.environment.sa.gov.au)
  11. ^ 28 hectares of fuel reduction burns (data.sa.gov.au)
  12. ^ six years after bushfire (doi.org)
  13. ^ catastrophic bushfires will happen more frequently (theconversation.com)
  14. ^ three billion animals (assets.wwf.org.au)
  15. ^ at least 20 threatened species (theconversation.com)
  16. ^ 96% of Flinders Chase National Park (www.environment.sa.gov.au)
  17. ^ spread of fires under catastrophic weather conditions (doi.org)
  18. ^ first laws in Australia (doi.org)
  19. ^ stopped (doi.org)
  20. ^ Australian landscapes (doi.org)
  21. ^ complex (doi.org)
  22. ^ biodiverse (doi.org)
  23. ^ actively managed, not excluded (doi.org)
  24. ^ Native Vegetation Act (www.legislation.sa.gov.au)
  25. ^ clearance (classic.austlii.edu.au)
  26. ^ New South Wales (legislation.nsw.gov.au)
  27. ^ Western Australia (www.legislation.wa.gov.au)
  28. ^ managed at the local government level (www.planning.vic.gov.au)
  29. ^ Tasmania (www.legislation.tas.gov.au)
  30. ^ Queensland (www.austlii.edu.au)
  31. ^ Northern Territory (legislation.nt.gov.au)
  32. ^ Australian Capital Territory (www.legislation.act.gov.au)
  33. ^ changes (yoursay.sa.gov.au)
  34. ^ Native Vegetation Act (www.legislation.sa.gov.au)
  35. ^ destroy native vegetation (www.austlii.edu.au)
  36. ^ current advice (cdn.environment.sa.gov.au)
  37. ^ Queensland (parks.desi.qld.gov.au)

Read more https://theconversation.com/changing-native-vegetation-laws-to-allow-burning-on-private-land-is-good-fire-management-229796

Times Magazine

Why Do So Many Australians Move Interstate?

Australia, with its diverse landscapes and vibrant cities, offers an array of living experiences that cater to different lifestyles. Consequently, the trend of interstate relocation is increasingly common among Australians. Understanding why peop...

BLUETTI EB3A Portable Power Station review

At work and on assignment The crew at TheTimes.com.au were offered the opportunity to carry out a long term test of a BLUETTI power station. When the EB3A power station arrived by courier, we unpacked it with enthusiasm and some curiosity as none o...

Several advantages of ethernet cabling over Wi-Fi for any Australian organisation

Countries across the length and breadth of Australia continually look for ways to increase their reliability to offer security to their own processes and that of their customers. Efficiency can allow an advantage over their competitors which will s...

Strategy Checklist For Mobile Application Testing

Effective mobile app testing is critical to mobile app success and user satisfaction. Before releasing the program to a wide range of new users, it is important to identify and correct all errors in advance. Check out our quick guide on which testi...

Consider This Before Selling Your Motorhome on Consignment

It goes without saying that selling your motorhome is one of the greatest decisions to make when it is not being used or you want to buy a new vehicle and do not want to keep your old one. Although renting the motorhome for passive income or tradin...

6 Top Software Development Services Providers in Australia (2024)

In 2024, the demand for cutting-edge software development services in Australia is surging. But finding the right service provider can be quite challenging. Just imagine investing time and resources into a project only to face delays, subpar qua...