Managing fire regimes

type and conservation status of species identified for protection in Fuel Management Plans, relative to existence and location of threatened species/communities
area (in hectares and proportion of total area) covered by trained fire crews for each landuse and vegetation type
practices in place to manage controlled burns to ensure maximum fuel reduction and minimum unintended consequences

Indicator description

Fire regimes can be managed for two different, and sometimes incompatible, objectives:

protection and maintenance of native species and ecosystems
protection of human life and property.

For example, fuel reduction burns in remote areas are more likely to be of a frequency and intensity that meets biodiversity conservation objectives than are fuel reduction burns in or near urban areas. The reason for this is the greater concerns for air pollution, aesthetics, and the risk to human life and property in human settlements.

Fuel Management Plans provide a framework for managing fire regimes using strategies such as: assessing fire hazard, maintaining fire trials, fuel reduction (by burning, mowing or grazing), and developing approaches to controlling wildfires. Plans developed for areas of conservation value generally identify native species that require special protection, particularly if they are threatened or endangered. The inclusion or otherwise of these species and communities provides an indication of the value placed on conservation in the Plans.

Bushfire control in the Region is undertaken by both professional (paid) fire crews as well as volunteer bushfire crews. The area covered by these crews indicates the capacity of the community to respond to emergency bushfire situations, as well as the capacity to act to manage fire and fuel loads to prevent bushfire emergencies.

Managing fire regimes is of concern to State of the Environment reporting because it is one response to reducing the pressure of changed fire regimes on native species and ecosystems.