Example 3
Fire monitoring in northern Australia
Introduction
Fire is a major land management tool in northern Australia.
However, it has only been in recent years that researchers have
begun to understand the ecological effects of fire, and the role
it plays in areas under different management regimes such as national
parks and large pastoral properties. In order to record when an
area is burnt and what the effects of different fire regimes are,
a comprehensive monitoring program has been established, with flora
surveys as the primary field-based tool.
Description of project
Combined with the regional management studies, the fire histories
of selected sites are 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 responses. Comprehensive flora surveys have been
carried out at over 280 plots located from the Cape York Peninsula
to the northern Kimberley. The sites were stratified
on the basis of landform, vegetation type and fire history (derived
from historical satellite data).
Outcome of project
The project is currently running, but the primary goal is the
development of ecologically and economically sound fire management
strategies, relevant to a wide range of land users, and the maintenance
of biological diversity.
For more information
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recommended readings
Russell-Smith, J., Ryan, P.G., Klessa, D., Waight, G. & Harwood,
R. (1998). Fire regimes, fire-sensitive vegetation and fire
management of the sandstone Arnhem Plateau, monsoonal northern
Australia. Journal of Applied Ecology 35:829-846.
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weblink
http://savanna.cdu.edu.au/research/
projects/firsav.html
Tropical Savannas CRC project summary of fire monitoring research.
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