The three major tenure types in northern Australia (in terms of the area covered) are Pastoral Leasehold, Aboriginal Freehold and various forms of conservation reserve. Land use across northern Australia plays an important role in determining how and why people burn the country.

Approaches to burning and fire management may differ between pastoral land managers, Aboriginal people and conservation and biodiversity managers. This is because the aims and objectives for burning, and how these are achieved, may vary.

Activity: People, land & burning

Who burns, why, and when?

In this activity, you will consider the approaches to burning of Aboriginal people, pastoral land managers and conservation and biodiversity mangers. From the readings make notes on:

  • who burns
  • where they burn
  • why they burn (what are the objectives or motivations for burning)
  • when they burn
  • how they burn

Using the resources listed below, identify differences between the groups, and also different approaches to burning within each group. You might also like to revisit the videos from the Introduction to fire section. These readings and resources will be useful for the assessment at the end of this section.

Readings & resources:

Fires on Aboriginal lands

Dyer, R., Jacklyn, P., Partridge, I., Russell-Smith, J. & Williams, R. (2001) Savanna Burning: understanding and using fire in northern Australia, pp. 50-53. Tropical Savannas CRC, Darwin.

Russell-Smith, J., Lucas, D., Gapindi, M., Gunbunuka, B., Kaparigia, N., Namingum, G., Lucas, K., Giulani, P. & Chaloupka, G. (1997) Aboriginal resource utilisation and fire management practice in western Arnhem Land, monsoonal northern Australia: notes for pre-history, lessons for the future. Human Ecology 25: 159-195. [Particularly pages 173-176]

Peter Christophersen and his family are traditional owners in Kakadu N.P. Here Peter talks about how fire can be used to ensure healthy landscapes and effective management of wetland resources.

QuickTime Video

Wetland burning in Kakadu National Park

Burning for conservation and biodiversity management

Andersen, A.N., Cook, G.D. & Williams, R.J. (2003) Synthesis: Fire. In: Ecology and Adaptive Conservation Management (A.N. Andersen, G.D. Cook, R.J. Williams, eds.) Springer-Verlag, New York.

Dyer, R., Jacklyn, P., Partridge, I., Russell-Smith, J. & Williams, R. (2001) Savanna Burning: understanding and using fire in northern Australia, pp. 75-79. Tropical Savannas CRC, Darwin.

Burning on pastoral lands

Craig, A.B. (1999) Fire management of rangelands in the Kimberley low-rainfall zone: a review. Rangeland Journal 21: 39-70.

Dyer, R., Jacklyn, P., Partridge, I., Russell-Smith, J. & Williams, R. (2001) Savanna Burning: understanding and using fire in northern Australia, pp. 54-74. Tropical Savannas CRC, Darwin.

Stanton, P. (1995) A tropical Queensland perspective. In: Country in Flames: Proceedings of the 1994 symposium on biodiversity and fire in north Australia (D.B. Rose, ed.). Biodiversity Series, Paper No. 3, Biodiversity Unit, Department of the Environment, Canberra.

Points of conflict

Invariably, because there are differences in values, views of the landscape and approaches to fire management, there is often conflict relating to fire management. The views of landscape set out in the introduction to this topic emphasise ‘difference’, and this may lead to competing interests. Frequently there is a lack of understanding between groups fuelled by ignorance and conflicting aims for burning. Your readings from the above activity will have highlighted differences and potential points of conflict.

Hot topic: Competing interests and collaborations

Can people work together to manage fire?

In a short interview published in Savanna Links, Dr Mark Gardener, an ecologist now working with an environmental consulting firm, describes his involvement in controlling a series of large fires in the Victoria River District of the Northern Territory, late in the 2004 dry season. Mark describes how these large fires helped bring different land management group together, and move on from the ‘blame game’.

Reading:

Tropical Savannas CRC (2004). Fire season brings together landholders. Savanna Links Issue 30.

Hot topic: Bush thickening & fire

Is woody thickening caused by a lack of fire in pastoral lands?

There is growing evidence and concern about an increase in the abundance of trees and shrubs in pastoral landscapes. For pastoralists this is undesirable, because it reduces the amount of grass available for cattle fodder.

Refer to the following summary of the issues associated with woody thickening prepared for the Tropical Savannas CRC.

Reading:

Pastoral Management and woody thickening (pdf document). Tropical Savannas CRC, Darwin. Accessed in July 2005.

The original text is available at the Tropical Savannas CRC website. Accessed July 2005.

Return to top of page ^