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Fire Proofing and Repairing the Australian Landscape

Peter AndrewsArthur’s Creek Community May 3rd 2009

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Background Statement Before mans’ interference this landscape

ran itself

Prior to Aboriginal occupation, the fire cycle on the Australian continent was ONCE every 300 years

Today, regardless of the cause, the cycle occurs every 2-3 years.

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In the Past

Prior to occupation of the Australian continent, in-ground water & a dense cover of fire retardant, bio-diverse plants cooled the landscape.

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Today’s SituationToday our landscape is: drained dried desiccated & barren of bio-diverse plant cover All that remains, mostly, is a mono-culture

of incendiaries of Eucalyptus trees waiting to vaporise like petrol tankers.

 

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How Did We Get Here? This landscape was once a wet, hydrated land

filled with a mosaic of fire retardant ecosystems.

40,000 years of burning has left a landscape of fire promoting, dominant species.

230 years of European settlement has removed 95% of the original vegetation that existed here prior to 1788 as well as 94% of wetland systems, leaving a fire prone environment.

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Available Options Humans have created the fire scenario by

their past actions.

Humans can create the solutions, providing they understand how this landscape functions, naturally.

The ONLY option THAT MATTERS, IN THE END, IS THE ONE THAT WORKS and…

  The Key is WATER!!

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Recommendations

That Governments and their Agencies recognise the former uniqueness of this Australian environment, its sustainable efficiencies and it’s management of its water and fertility;

Rehydrate the landscape using the natural processes of the Australian environment;

Plant broad bands of fire retardant species (natives & exotics) on contour lines;

Stop planting monocultures of fire prone Eucalypts and pines.

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Action Plan Politicians need to be properly informed

Laws (i.e.WONS and Water Act) need to be re-evaluated to allow implementation of above recommendations

An E & T program needs to be established to provide information & training to farmers & landholders about how their landscapes can be restored

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Long Term Effects if Current Practices Continue Climate change has occurred in Victoria

because of the removal of vegetation.

Fire begets fire. If we continue to burn Victoria will become a desert.

Rainfall will continue to decline.

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Long Term Effects of Reinstating Natural Processes1. The climate will be moderated

and become cooler with the reinstatement of vegetation.

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2. More rain events will occur.

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3. Bio-diverse plantings will encourage a wet, hydrated landscape with increased fertility and in addition provide feedback loops to rebuild the landscape mosaics.

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4. Victoria will be better able to deal with fire in the future using the natural landscape processes.