TY - JOUR
T1 - Challenges for prescribed fire management in Australia's fire-prone rangelands
T2 - The example of the Northern Territory
AU - Russell-Smith, Jeremy
AU - Edwards, Andrew C.
AU - Sangha, Kamaljit K.
AU - Yates, Cameron P.
AU - Gardener, Mark R.
PY - 2020
Y1 - 2020
N2 - Northern Australia comprises by far the most fire-prone-half of a fiery continent, where fire frequencies range from annual in the tropical savannas to periodic very-extensive fire events following above-rainfall conditions in the central Australian rangelands. As illustration of the challenges facing effective fire management in Australia's 5.7 × 10 6 km 2 rangelands, we examine the status of contemporary prescribed burning activities in the Northern Territory, a 1.4 × 10 6 km 2 , very sparsely settled (0.18 persons km -2 ) jurisdiction characterised by vast flammable landscapes, few barriers to fire-spread, predominantly anthropogenic ignitions, and limited institutional resources and capacity. Unsurprisingly, prescribed-fire management is shown to be restricted to specific locales. For more effective, landscape-scale fire management, potential solutions include engagement with dispersed remote communities and incorporation of Indigenous Ranger Groups into the fire-management network, and building on the success of savanna-burning greenhouse gas emission projects as an example for incentivising landscape fire and emergency management services generally. Recently, significant steps have been taken towards implementing formal regional fire-management planning processes involving inclusive community-stakeholder engagement, and the setting of clearly defined time-constrained objectives and targets.
AB - Northern Australia comprises by far the most fire-prone-half of a fiery continent, where fire frequencies range from annual in the tropical savannas to periodic very-extensive fire events following above-rainfall conditions in the central Australian rangelands. As illustration of the challenges facing effective fire management in Australia's 5.7 × 10 6 km 2 rangelands, we examine the status of contemporary prescribed burning activities in the Northern Territory, a 1.4 × 10 6 km 2 , very sparsely settled (0.18 persons km -2 ) jurisdiction characterised by vast flammable landscapes, few barriers to fire-spread, predominantly anthropogenic ignitions, and limited institutional resources and capacity. Unsurprisingly, prescribed-fire management is shown to be restricted to specific locales. For more effective, landscape-scale fire management, potential solutions include engagement with dispersed remote communities and incorporation of Indigenous Ranger Groups into the fire-management network, and building on the success of savanna-burning greenhouse gas emission projects as an example for incentivising landscape fire and emergency management services generally. Recently, significant steps have been taken towards implementing formal regional fire-management planning processes involving inclusive community-stakeholder engagement, and the setting of clearly defined time-constrained objectives and targets.
KW - central Australia
KW - emergency management
KW - fire regime
KW - Indigenous rangers
KW - remote communities
KW - risk management
KW - savannas
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85062359740&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1071/WF18127
DO - 10.1071/WF18127
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85062359740
SN - 1049-8001
VL - 29
SP - 339
EP - 353
JO - International Journal of Wildland Fire
JF - International Journal of Wildland Fire
IS - 5
ER -