International Savanna Fire Management Initiative

View Original

British Colonisation of Australia 250 years ago to Blame for Recent Wildfires

Photo: Reproduced from ‘The Telegraph’ article

In ‘The Telegraph’, science correspondent Joe Pinkstone reports on the findings of a study led by Dr Michela Mariani of the University of Nottingham, recently published in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment that studied changes in vegetation and the fossil pollen record to analyse past landscapes. In the Telegraph article the lead study researcher reflects on the colonial disruption to traditional fire management practices and argues for Australian fire agencies to work in Indigenous peoples to bring back historic practices that minimise the accumulation of flammable biomass in a way that could support the prevention of extreme wildfires. Read The Telegraph article here. Access the open access journal article here.