Dealing with the growing threat of wildfires

Special report

Fire has been a part of the Earth system for as long as there have been enough plants to fuel it – and it is a vital tool for the development of human society. But fire has gone from being useful to being a source of fear as we change the environment to suit our lives. Now, climate change threatens to alter the fire regimes that we are accustomed to even as we struggle with them.

In a changing system that’s increasing unpredictable, it’s time for us to rethink our understanding and relationship with wildfire.

Australia

Indigenous peoples’ knowledge of how fire interacts with the land (including water), allows them to survive and prosper in areas prone to fire.

~ 1,380 words

Special Report

Indigenous knowledge can help control fire but first we must value it

South Africa + Australia

Fire is one of the very few tools we have to manipulate savanna ecosystems, and we understand a great deal about its impacts, both biological and geophysical.

~ 1,950 words

Saturation point: how savannas burn

California wildfires

Too many homes are being built in the arc of wildfire country by housing developers who completely ignore the natural landscape, as well as the planning and zoning rules.

~2,000 words

Lessons from Southern California: how to manage fire as well as urban planning

Australia

Under the influence of climate change, many of the factors that combine to cause fires – especially heatwaves – will change in a way that will increase the incidence of extreme wildfires.

~1,370 words

Climate change affects wildfires but we still don’t know to what extent. Though it’s likely to only get worse

Author

Sally Archibald

University of Witwatersrand

Andrew Cunningham Scott

Royal Holloway University of London

Bhiamie Williamson

Australian National University

Lawrence Herzog

San Diego State University

Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick

UNSW Sydney

Owen Price

University of Wollongong Australia

Jason John Sharples

UNSW Canberra

Jessica Weir

Western Sydney University

Editor

Reema Rattan

TGA

Topics
- Environment
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Published March 7, 2018

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Dealing with the growing threat of wildfires

Indigenous knowledge can help control fire but first we must value it

Saturation point: how savannas burn

Lessons from Southern California: how to manage fire as well as urban planning

Climate change affects wildfires but we still don’t know to what extent. Though it’s likely to only get worse

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