North s Researchers Join Up to Fight Fire with

North’s Researchers Join Up to Fight Fire with Fire Fire History 1998: Western Australia Northern Territory Queensland Wildfires are a growing problem in northern Australia. Without planned burning, native flora and fauna are under threat while woody weeds flourish. E125o S12o S14o S16o S18o S20o E125o Firescars mapped before 31 July Firescars mapped 31 July to 31 Dec E130o E135o E140o E145o S12o S14o S16o S18o S20o Mapped from NOAA-14 Satellite Imagery Satellite Remote Sensing Services, Department of Land Administration Leeuwin Centre, Perth WA E130o 200 E135o 0 200 400 E140o E145o A Kilometres s shown in the composite satellite image, large parts of north Australia are burnt every year. What is of concern, though, is the pattern of fires. Many of them are large fires in the later, hotter part of the northern dry season (lighter patches) and can be catastrophic for fire-sensitive plants and animals. Equally, large areas in the south are never burnt, allowing woody weeds to spread, which reduces the productivity of cattle country and threatens populations of native parrots and finches. What the Savannas CRC is doing The business of managing land worldwide is being dramatically transformed by satellite technology and Australia and the Tropical Savannas CRC (TS-CRC) are leading the way in working with users on the ground to deliver workable remote sensing tools. Geographic Information Systems and remote sensing technologies like the image above are being used to get a whole-ofsavannas picture of fire management. In 1999 pastoralists and other remote area land managers could keep track of fires in their region by accessing satellite information via the World Wide Web—or by asking for a fax of the same information. Soon many more satellite tools will be available to help people manage fires in northern Australia. Photo: Deborah Rose Aboriginal people are one of the key groups of fire managers with which the Tropical Savannas CRC works The TS-CRC is also involved in five regional fire-management studies that are underway or being developed: • Cape York* •VRD • Kimberley* • Western Arnhem Land •Eastern Indonesia.* Working with fire managers Each of these regional studies involves a range of fire researchers working with local fire managers to develop practical firemanagement plans for the regions that are ecologically and economically sound. They will also help develop useful fire tools including regional satellite monitoring of firescars, fuel loads and curing rates as well as biodiversity indicators. Fire histories of selected sites are also being examined in detail and monitored over a number of years. Permanent monitoring plots on conservation, pastoral and Aboriginal lands are exploring relationships between fire regimes and vegetation. These studies are linked to other TS-CRC research projects, including ecological and biogeographical studies, land-condition assessment, and indicators of sustainability. Photo: Sam Setterfield Planned burning is essential to protect Australia’s savannas Forum was established to assist the development of management guidelines, information transfer, policy development and integration of research activities across the north. Contacts Dr Jeremy Russell-Smith, Bushfires Council of the NT Tel: (08) 8984 4000 Email: Jeremy Russell-Smith@nt.gov.au Dr Richard Smith, WA Dept. Land Administration Tel: (08) 9340 9342 Email: richard_smith@notes.dola.wa.gov.au TS-CRC Research Projects Fire and Savanna Landscapes http://savanna.ntu.edu.au/research/projects/firsav.html Fire and Rubbervine Habitats http://savanna.ntu.edu.au/research/projects/firubb.html TS-CRC Student Projects Paul Ryan http://savanna.ntu.edu.au/education/students/current/ryan.html Tom Vigilante http://savanna.ntu.edu.au/education/students/current/ vigilante.html Satellite Maps Department of Land Administration WA http://www.rss.dola.wa.gov.au/apps/firewatch.html BushfireCouncil of the NT http://www.nt.gov.au/bfc/ Publications Proceedings of the North Australia Fire Forum March-April, Eds P. Jacklyn, J. Russell-Smith, 1998 Fire on the Savannas, Ed D. Schulz, 1998 For Publications contact Kate O’Donnell, Tel: 07 4781 5967 Email: kate.odonnell@jcu.edu.au Other TS-CRC initiatives • A major regional workshop, the North Australia Fire Management Workshop, in March 1998, brought together representatives from a range of land management sectors, regions, agencies and researchers to define core fire-management issues across the north. • There are now two students undertaking fire research as part of the Centre’s program—PhD’s Paul Ryan and Tom Vigilante. • A North Australia Fire Manager’s * These fire studies are under development