| 18 April 2007 | ||
| 11:00 am | to | 12:30 pm |
PRODUCER: Barbie McKaige,
SPEAKERS: Ross Bradstock, Dick Williams, Kevin Hennessy, Garry Cook, Peter Christophersen, John Schauble
CHAIR: Derek Guille
PANEL: Kevin O’Loughlin
SESSION REPORT: Burn, baby, burn
By Brendan Borrell
As that 40-foot wall of fire closes in on your uninsured home, it’s important to remind yourself that wildfires have been humanity’s erstwhile companion on the ecological landscape for thousands of years.
In this session, a panel of scientists outlined some of the benefits of that friendship and strategies for living with fire in the 21st century.
“Bushfires are not necessarily ecological disasters,” said Ross Bradstock of University of Wollongong, “In fact fires in these environments may be determinants of diversity.”
Aboriginal peoples, for instance, have long used fires to clear choking vegetation from savannahs and wetlands, which increases plant diversity and, consequently, populations of game animals. Sadly, much of that traditional knowledge has been forgotten, but Peter Christophersen of CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems related his work restoring such practices to aboriginal communities in and around Kakadu National Park.
Dick Williams, also at CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems, further discussed the role of traditional knowledge in a prescribed burn program in Northern Australia. Bushfires account for half of Australia’s greenhouse gas emissions and as the climate grows hotter and drier, finding ways to manage — though not extinguish — natural wildfires is going to be more crucial.
In spite of these benefits, suburban dwellers may still be leery of welcoming wildfire into their neighborhoods. But John Schauble of the Country Fire Authority dispelled some myths about wildfire, including that nightmarish image of a wall of flame inching up on our homes.
Ninety percent of homes catch fire due to ember attack, he said and the “chance of being killed by bushfires is statistically very slight.” What this means is that in most cases, it is quite easy to stay and defend your home from fire provided you’ve had some basic training. He added the most dangerous thing you can do is evacuate at the last minute.
Whether we like it or not, fires are here to stay, the scientists agreed. Let’s try and make friends.
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