Essays by Eric Worrall
Greens generally oppose controlled burning to manage the accumulation of combustible forest fuels. But do green people resist the traditional wisdom of an indigenous “cultural burn”?
Esperance rangers hope culture fires can save remote islands from the effects of climate change
ABC Esperance / Via Emily JB Smith
…
Figure of Eight Island was once home to the largest breeding population of short-tailed fish in western Australia.
But the colony disappeared after a lightning bolt caused a fire that silently ravaged the island in 2019.
Ms. Graham, a ranger at Esperance Tjaltjraak Native Title, was part of a team that visited in 2020 to spot the birds that have disappeared and habitat destroyed.
…
Three years after the fire, they found little evidence of the birds returning.
…
Dr Lavers said: “The seabird colonies actually recovered quite slowly.
…
But cultural burns can reduce their impact.
“There’s an opportunity there… to go in and burn off important assets like seabird colonies during the off season when seabirds aren’t there and when it’s cooler and wetter,” she said. she speaks.
…
Abstract of a paper published by the scientist;
The impact of bushfires on seabird breeding islands of southwestern Australia: a case study to develop a community-based model in adaptive management.
June 2022
Human ecology 50(4)
DOIs:10.1007/s10745-022-00338-0Jennifer Lavers, Genevieve R. Carey, David R. Guilfoyle, Ron Reynolds
Traditional burning regimes have long been used to enhance biodiversity and mitigate intense wildfires. A link between changes in seabird distribution, success and reproductive timing and oceanographic and climatic changes in marine environments has been established, with migratory seabirds being less likely to be found. more resilient to climate change than resident species. Although climate-induced changes can also occur on seabird breeding islands, there is little data on potential impacts. Here, we investigate the frequency and severity of bushfires on seabird breeding islands in Western Australia, in relation to the 2020 fires on Figure Eight Island in the Recherche Islands. The lack of historical, quantitative surveys limited our ability to quantify the number of shearwaters lost during this event. However, a review of the available data shows that every year or two thousands of birds die from burning across the Islands. In Figure 8, shearwater occupancy and density were low for 12 months after burning (0.25 and 0.02 ± 0.03 respectively), with little evidence of recovery (very few caves discovered) 23 months after the fire. We discuss opportunities to develop a community-based, adaptation program that restores cultural, collaborative approaches to fire management and monitoring on seabird breeding islands in Australia. .
Having traditional guardians of the land for controlled burning of fuels in keeping with their ancient wisdom could help placate green opposition to controlled burning, opposition likely contributed to the severity of the recent devastating fires in Australia, the United States and Canada.
Reading the full article, it appears that government agencies that oversee land management are resisting efforts to reclassify controlled fuel fires as “cultural burns.”
I hope those organs reach their senses. As long as there is controlled fuel reduction, who cares who fights?
Accepting “cultural burn,” reducing the intensity of wildfires when they are certain to happen, can save lives, and in addition prevent populations of more endangered birds and animals from suffering together. fate like the short-tailed falcons on Figure Eight Island.
Related
