Big Scrub Landcare is acting to protect rainforest from the threat of wildfire through the Saving our Rainforests from Fire project. The project will undertake urgent post-fire scientific research and assessment of the impact of recent bushfires on rainforest in northeast NSW, informing an appropriate post-fire response to improve the long-term management, protection and resilience of rainforests and their significant biodiversity. You can donate to this project to help secure the precious rainforests of northeast NSW from fire.
Saving our Rainforests from Fire
Assessing the impact of bushfires on northeast NSW rainforest to inform future protection
Recent fires in northeast NSW have exposed the vulnerability of rainforests to increasing wildfire threats. Forest areas including areas of mixed rainforest and sclerophyll vegetation were burned, increasing the risk of fire impacts on endangered rainforest communities and threatened species.
More broadly across our country, over 10 million hectares of the Australian landscape has been burned. Over 1 billion animals have lost their lives including many threatened species that have been significantly impacted, creating an immediate need for well-informed action.
Big Scrub Landcare’s project, led by one of the world’s leading rainforest evolutionary ecologists, Dr Robert Kooyman, is undertaking post-fire scientific research to determine which rainforest communities were impacted by fire, to assess the impacts on threatened species, and to identify and provide baseline information needed to monitor impacts through time. This research and the resulting recommendations are vital to identify what is needed to improve our understanding of how to protect these vulnerable areas and species into the future.
The project will focus on the long-term protection of rainforests by delivering the following research goals and outcomes:
Research goals:
• Assess the impacts of recent bushfires on different types of rainforest vegetation including areas of mixed rainforest and sclerophyll vegetation from Mt Nardi and Terania Creek to the eastern areas of Nightcap National Park and nearby areas.
• Determine which vegetation types were most susceptible to recent fires and which vegetation types resisted the fire.
• Map fire-prone vegetation and areas of fire vulnerability adjacent to core rainforest refugia in Nightcap National Park and nearby areas.
• Assess impacts on threatened species particularly Nightcap Oak, Peach Myrtle, and Minyon Quandong.
• Utilise research and monitoring outcomes to facilitate regeneration of burnt areas including assessing early indications of weed invasion.
• Determine how variations in vegetation types can be used to protect rainforest in the future.
• Assess impact of fire retardant on subtropical rainforest species at Mt Nardi.
This research will result in the following outcomes:
• Interim guidelines for fighting future fires in and around rainforest vegetation in northeast NSW.
• Information sharing with relevant agencies and the community.
• A published peer reviewed paper and broad media coverage of research outcomes and recommendations.
The Saving our Rainforests from Fire project is critical to inform appropriate and long-term post-fire actions needed to improve the protection of rainforests in northeast NSW into the future.
We know there is much to be learned from the recent fire events to better understand the threats of wildfire and to inform future long-term management, protection and resilience of our rainforests.
You can donate to this project to help secure precious rainforests of northeast NSW from fire.
Big Scrub Landcare is acting to protect rainforest from the threat of wildfire through the Saving our Rainforests from Fire project. The project will undertake urgent post-fire scientific research and assessment of the impact of recent bushfires on rainforest in northeast NSW, informing an appropriate post-fire response to improve the long-term management, protection and resilience
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