Australia experienced its biggest bushfire season in over a decade in 2023, with fires burning across 84 million hectares of desert and savannah in northern Australia. These fires were driven by heavy rainfall and lightning strikes in dry fuel loads, and burned at an incredible speed. Indigenous fire management practices have been proven to be effective in reducing the severity of these fires, and efforts are being made to incorporate these practices into future fire management strategies.
Landscapes that have escaped fire for decades or centuries tend to harbor vital structures for wildlife, such as tree hollows and large logs. But these “long unburnt” habitats can be eliminated by a single blaze.
The pattern of fire most commonly experienced within an ecosystem is known as the fire regime. This includes aspects such as fire frequency, season, intensity, size and shape. Fire regimes are changing across the globe, stoked by climate and land-use change.
Recent megafires in Australia, Brazil, Canada and United States epitomize the dire consequences of shifting fire regimes for humanity and biodiversity alike.
“Fire regimes that cause declines in biodiversity” was recently listed as a key threatening process under Australia’s environmental protection legislation.
