Fire Forum

Location
Rangelands Wide

In 2014 a Fire Forum hosted by Rangelands NRM brought people from government, the pastoral industry, Indigenous organisations, universities and mining together to discuss fire management in the WA rangelands.

Overview:

In 2014 a Fire Forum hosted by Rangelands NRM brought people from government, the pastoral industry, Indigenous organisations, universities and mining together to discuss fire management in the WA rangelands. The Rangelands Fire Leadership group was subsequently formed to drive ongoing fire management awareness raising and actions from fire forums.

Delivery organisation

The Rangelands Fire Leadership group comprising the Department of Parks and Wildlife, Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES), Kanyirninpa Jukurrpa (KJ), Pastoral and Grazier’s Association of WA (PGA), Kimberley Pilbara Cattleman’s Association (KPCA) and Rangelands NRM

Outcomes

One recent initiative of the group was the extension of the NAFI (Northern Australia Fire Information) website. NAFI uses satellite data to provide up-to-date information on fire hotspots (locations where fires are thought to be burning), and fire scars (patches in the landscape which have been burnt). The extended website now reaches the border of the southwest land division of WA. It includes 10 years (2006-present) of fire scar history, live fire hotspots, and easy-to-use reporting tools to enable fire quantification in any selected area with fire history data clearly showing the extensive, frequent and tenure-blind nature of fire in the Pilbara, Desert and Kimberley regions. This presents base mapping to inform landscape-scale coordination efforts, fire prevention planning and emergency response.

Investment

The extension of the fire history map has been made possible through a cross-sector collaboration project coordinated by Rangelands NRM, and co-funded by multiple partners including Kanyirninpa Jukurrpa (KJ), Roy Hill mining, Great Victoria Desert Biodiversity Trust, Pilbara Corridors and the Australian Government.

Contact

Quinton Clasen

Downloads

Video overview of the first Fire Forum (19-20 February 2014)
Guiding Principles for Fire Management in the WA rangelands
Fire Forum presentations, Talkbook and Bluesheet

Read about Fire in the WA rangelands

Quote

Fire is tenure blind, it is not constrained by tenure boundaries. It is therefore vital we continue to look for ways to work together on fire management (between neighbours and cross-sector) in a well-planned way if we are to protect the things that we value in the rangelands.Mr Shane Love, Parliamentary Secretary for Regional Development; Lands; Minister Assisting the Minister for State Development.

This fantastic project [NAFI extension] will deliver more accurate fire histories across the state, leading to an increase in knowledge about fire impacts on biodiversity, refuges and fire scales.Great Victoria Desert Biodiversity Trust Co-ordinator, Kathryn Sinclair.

To learn more, contact Quinton Clasen at quintonc@rangelandswa.com.au