A visit to the bushfire affected areas around Anakie and the
Brisbane Ranges in Victoria brought a week long conference for
science journalists to a close.
More than 500 journalists from around the world attended the
World Science Journalists Conference in Melbourne (16-20 April). In
addition to the day tour on the final day, the Bushfire CRC
coordinated a session on "Wildfire: Friend or Foe" and an
exhibition stand shared with other Cooperative Research
Centres.
A busload
of science journalists visited the township of Anakie and the
nearby Brisbane Ranges National Park to see the impact of the fires
that burnt the area in January 2006. Over one week, these bushfires
destroyed three houses, killed many native and farm animals, and
burnt around 40 percent of the national park. Now more than a year
since the fires, the regeneration of the bushland is well underway
with scores of blackened trees contrasting against the vigorous
regrowth of the bush.
The tour was led by Bushfire CRC chief executive officer Kevin
O'Loughlin and senior researchers John Handmer, Mark Adams
(pictured above), Justin Leonard (pictured right) and Kevin
Tolhurst. Bob Barry from the CFA and Stuart Willsher from Parks
Victoria provided a valuable local input to the tour.
Earlier in the week, a session on "Wildfire: Friend or Foe"
attracted interest in the main part of the conference. The
Bushfire CRC and CSIRO Sustainable Ecosystems brought together a
panel of experts who discussed the impact and broader issues
connected with fire both in the tropical north of Australia and in
southern Australia.
Pictured below with Kevin O'Loughlin, at left, are speakers
Garry Cook, Dick Williams and Peter Christophersen, CSIRO
Sustainable Ecosystems; John Schauble, a CFA volunteer
fireman and author; and Ross Bradstock from the University of
Wollongong. The session was moderated by ABC Local Radio host Derek
Guille.
