Project Leader Ross Bradstock, University of Woolongong

Human population and climate changes directly impact fire regimes and associated risks.  As a consequence, fire management must change. Risk management now emphasises assessment, measurement and mitigation of risks to a wide range of values, i.e. property, and ecosystem services, water, air quality, indigenous values and biodiversity. This challenges how we assess, quantify and comprehend these risks at large spatial and temporal scales, and requires us to ask how will climate change affect risk mitigation.

This project uses studies focused on four contrasting regions across Australia (the Sydney basin, the ACT, South West Tasmania and Central Australia). A core tool used is the FIRESCAPE landscape/fire regime simulation model.

The modelling is supported by two major strands of on-ground investigation aimed at measuring the responses of biodiversity to different fire regimes and the sensitivity of fire behaviour to vegetation, fuel moisture, landscape characteristics and fire suppression/prevention activities. Outcomes from the research will enhance and validate key functions in FIRESCAPE allowing explicit quantification of risks posed by particular fire regimes.