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Fire and Biodiversity WA
Australia
Приєднався 15 лис 2022
Biodiversity decline is a global problem that affects us all. The southwest of Western Australia is a biodiversity hotspot that includes extensive wilderness areas, many designated as National Parks due to their unique flora, fauna and landscapes. Conservation management is paramount, yet the State Government of Western Australia continues to inflict inappropriate fire regimes through its management practices on this ancient and fragile landscape.
This channel is about documenting these large prescribed burns on this unique region, and the effects that their severity and frequency are having on its various ecosystems. These include the tall forests of karri and tingle, jarrah and marri forests, banksia woodlands and a large variety of heathlands and wetlands, including peatlands that are thousands of years old.
This channel is about documenting these large prescribed burns on this unique region, and the effects that their severity and frequency are having on its various ecosystems. These include the tall forests of karri and tingle, jarrah and marri forests, banksia woodlands and a large variety of heathlands and wetlands, including peatlands that are thousands of years old.
Will the unique giant Red Tingle trees of the south-west of Western Australia be lost forever?
Will the unique giant Red Tingle trees of the south-west of Western Australia be lost forever?
These Gondwanan trees originated over 65 million years ago and occur in a small, high rainfall corner of southwest Western Australia. Only 60 km² of ancient Red Tingle Forest exists on the entire planet.
Fire is the greatest threat to these trees as their base is subject to being hollowed out by fire often leading to tree collapse after several fire events.
Wadandi Pibulmun Yunungjarlu Elder, Dr Wayne Webb, advised that Traditional Owners deliberately excluded fire from tall Red Tingle forests.
The Red Tingle trees have important cultural significance to the Aboriginal people, the Noongar Traditional Owners of the area: “The dtingle trees hold great spiritual significance for my people. These living beings - dtingle trees - hold the spirits of our Pibulmun Ancestors. It’s an absolute disgrace that our country is being so disrespected.” Dr Wayne Webb, Wadandi Pibulmun Yunungjarlu Aboriginal Elder and Traditional Owner.
(ref. Icons to Ashes: www.fabwa.org.au/icons-to-ashes)
The Government of Western Australia’s current policy to prescribe burn most of its conservation estate on a 4-15 year rotation, which also is implemented in Tingle Country, is resulting in losing many of these trees forever.
Many are several hundred years old and are not easily replaced.
Please share! Write to the Minister Minister.Whitby@dpc.wa.gov.au to say that you would like to see changes to the policy to protect these unique trees for future generations. Or, contact your local politician.
These Gondwanan trees originated over 65 million years ago and occur in a small, high rainfall corner of southwest Western Australia. Only 60 km² of ancient Red Tingle Forest exists on the entire planet.
Fire is the greatest threat to these trees as their base is subject to being hollowed out by fire often leading to tree collapse after several fire events.
Wadandi Pibulmun Yunungjarlu Elder, Dr Wayne Webb, advised that Traditional Owners deliberately excluded fire from tall Red Tingle forests.
The Red Tingle trees have important cultural significance to the Aboriginal people, the Noongar Traditional Owners of the area: “The dtingle trees hold great spiritual significance for my people. These living beings - dtingle trees - hold the spirits of our Pibulmun Ancestors. It’s an absolute disgrace that our country is being so disrespected.” Dr Wayne Webb, Wadandi Pibulmun Yunungjarlu Aboriginal Elder and Traditional Owner.
(ref. Icons to Ashes: www.fabwa.org.au/icons-to-ashes)
The Government of Western Australia’s current policy to prescribe burn most of its conservation estate on a 4-15 year rotation, which also is implemented in Tingle Country, is resulting in losing many of these trees forever.
Many are several hundred years old and are not easily replaced.
Please share! Write to the Minister Minister.Whitby@dpc.wa.gov.au to say that you would like to see changes to the policy to protect these unique trees for future generations. Or, contact your local politician.
Переглядів: 325
Відео
HABITAT VS FUEL
Переглядів 1412 місяці тому
Fuel reduction is the primary objective of the prescribed burn policy in the south-west of Western Australia, which aims to keep 45% of lands managed by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions with a fuel age of six years or less. These lands include National Parks and Nature Reserves. Most people believe these burns are mild. Fire and Biodiversity WA has been monitoring pr...
Merningar Elder Lynette Knapp explains the significance of granite outcrops to First Nations people.
Переглядів 335 місяців тому
Merningar (Menang) Elder Lynette Knapp speaks after seeing our video on granite outcrops and explains why these elevated parts of the landscape have cultural significance. She speaks about how they formed part of the Noongar way of life and how they should be cared for.
Granite outcrops in the Walpole Wilderness Area, southwest Australia.
Переглядів 345 місяців тому
The Walpole Wilderness Area in the southwest of Western Australia is an ancient and fragile landscape, shaped by its foundation of granite. It is the only gazetted wilderness area in Western Australia and deserves to be well cared for. The granites formed deep in the crust, thousands of millions of years ago and were slowly brought to the surface as solid rock. This all happened before humans w...
Quarram Nature Reserve. Tax-funded prescribed burn.
Переглядів 3696 місяців тому
Burning of country both in National Parks and Nature Reserves is conducted every year in the southwest of Western Australia by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions. Quarram Nature Reserve is a wilderness area bounded by the Southern Ocean. The area burnt within this reserve was over 1000 hectares in size and was dominated by fragile coastal dune vegetation. All around th...
Mt. Roe National Park, Western Australia, revisit of a high severity prescribed burn.
Переглядів 1236 місяців тому
A revisit to a Core Wilderness area incinerated by a prescribed burn of 14,800 hectares, one and a half years later and following drought conditions in summer and autumn. This prescribed burn escaped and burned a total of 25,000 hectares. The area was rich in fauna, threatened species such as mainland quokka and western ringtail possum. In the southwest of Western Australia, an area recognised ...
Instead of burning off, do some work to identify the essential oils, dyes, molecules, organic product etc, that is in the forest. Then harvest it out of the undergrowth that is the fuel load and set up some refineries and industries that create jobs and careers from Kwinana to Albany. Instead of turning the valuable products into smoke every year, harvest it and share it with the rest of the planet. Also, collect the seeds from plants like the tingle trees and work out how to grow them in pots and gardens so they will never ever be extinct. Like do some science and stop using 60,000 year old burning off techniques to control fuel in WA forests. Wake up and find a 21st century solution.
I'm not a fan of humans doing burn offs. It kills nearly everything.
The government is committing forest genocide whether out of ignorance or incompetence or its just a deliberate action to eradicate forests that they regard as a threat. It’s dark ages mentality
As a bushwalker and hunter in many parts of Australia and also living in WA ive noticed frequently burnt areas here are devoid of many native animals as their food and cover from predators is destroyed. these educated imbeciles pushing this agenda are not following the way traditional owners of the land used fire and therefore they are stuffing up the natural eco system. Also every year in WA we have to put up with breathing smoke from these fires and occasionally these fires get out of hand and cause more destruction. LEAVE OUR FORESTS ALONE.
As someone who knows absolutely nothing about this topic I ask what then does cause the forest to ignite if, as these researchers claim, the litter is not the cause as the relatively shallow depth and dampness of litter shown in this video is not sufficient cause for concern. Is it lightning striking dead trees or some other phenomenon?🤔🤔
Under the prescribed burn policy in Western Australia 200,000ha target is set every year to be burned in the south-west. So on a cycle of every 4-15 years forest blocks are burned on purpose as shown in the video by dropping incendiaries from an aircraft to ignite the bush. Hope that helps!
@@fireandbiodiversitywa9599 Thank you for your kind and prompt reply. I understand the prescribed burn process however the inference (if I understood correctly) from your research and this video is that the prescribed burns are not necessary as the litter layer is not of sufficient depth to cause the ignition of forest fires and the added factor of moisture within the litter should prevent ignition. So my question is : if the litter layer is not the cause of ignition what then is? For that matter does anyone really know?
@@mountainman9145 The cause of ignition is a lightning strike, or arson or human error. In order for this ignition to develop into a bushfire there are the variables of weather, burn material, often called fuel. What this video is portraying is that the WA government is telling the public that fuel accumulates at a rate of so many tonnes per ha annually depending on ecosystem, discounting the activity of decomposition and the effect fauna and microbes have on the leaf litter. What we show in this video that the fuel accumulation we are told is incorrect. We also are of the opinion that the prescribed burn practice in WA, with a policy "to keep 45% of the land managed by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions with a fuel age of 6 years or less is outdated. This policy results in that National Parks are burned on a 6- 15 year rotation, which is incompatable with the longevity of both fauna and flora species. We think this practice should be reviewed, as our climate has changed dramaticcally since the 1960's when this practice was initiated. We have been lobbying government with many other organisations and scientists to implement an independent review for the last 5 years, with recommendations from the EPA to the Minister to have such a review. But to date the practice continues unabated.
I don't believe burn offs do anything good and everyone in the city hates having to breath/smell the smoke.
How do we change this behaviour?
Thank you Aunty for sharing your knowledge. Yaangka.
This a gazetted Wilderness Area was deliberately burned at the wrong time and poorly managed there after due to resource issues. The area was effected by natural fires (lightening) in around 2012ish and was badly damaged and not managed at the time of the fire due to resource issues. I've hiked extensively in this area and it hadn't recovered from that earlier incident yet, however a "prescribed burn" was actuated. In the 1990's and early 2000's this was a majestic ecosystem. I wish it the best of luck for the future. No positive words to express.
Fire is a natural part of the Australian environment.
Fire is a natural part of the Australian environment .... however, in this case a designated Wilderness Area was deliberately burned at the wrong time and poorly managed there after due to resource issues. The area was effected by natural fires (lightening) in around 2012ish and was badly damaged. I've hiked extensively in this area and it hadn't recovered from that earlier incident yet, however a "prescribed burn" was actuated. No positive words to express.
Not when aircraft are dropping incendiary devices into it from above in an attempt to burn (destroy) 2000 sq km of it every year just in our south west region
Blackboys thrive on fire to regenerate them and protect them from diseases . Aboriginals would have constant season long before you and where conceived in our mothers belly !
Great job highlighting this travesty... sobering images.
Video quality good this time.