Indigenous land management

Has it always burned so hot? Fuel and fire in southeast Australian forests

Project size (& length): 25 or 50

Indigenous cultural burning has been raised as a way of mitigating against climate-driven catastrophic bushfires in southeast Australian forests. It is argued that returning an Indigenous style fire regime will keep landscape fuel loads low, thus reducing the frequency and intensity of bushfires and mitigating against large catastrophic bushfires. While based on enormous reservoirs of traditional fire knowledge in Indigenous communities, this assertion needs empirical testing within these highly flammable forests. This project aims to empirically test how fuel loads, fuel type, fire frequency and fire intensity have changed over the past 500 years in southeast Australian forests, spanning the period of indigenous to British management.

A/Prof Michael-Shawn Fletcher, School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences
michael.fletcher@unimelb.edu.au

Are the pre-1750 Victorian environmental layers accurate?

Project size (& length): 25 or 50

Ecological Vegetation Classes (EVCs) are a spatial layer used by government and non-government entities to map vegetation in Victoria. Measures, such as “Biological Conservation Status” and “Biodiversity Decision Systems” depend on a comparison between estimated pre-1750 vegetation and modern vegetation. The pre-1750 EVC layer is primarily derived from Expert Elicitation, but is it correct? Does it take it to account the radical changes in vegetation following the removal of Aboriginal people? This project seeks to empirically test the pre-1750 EVC layers across remnant vegetation areas in Victoria, allowing a more robust assessment of diversity and conservation status and a better understanding of the impact of Aboriginal cultural burning in Victoria.

A/Prof Michael-Shawn Fletcher, School of Agriculture, Food and Ecosystem Sciences
michael.fletcher@unimelb.edu.au

Response of billabong ecosystem processes to Traditional Owner informed management (re-watering and fire management)

Project size (& length): 50

This project, in a collaboration with the Wurundjeri Woi‐wurrung Corporation’s Narrap Unit and Melbourne Water, aims to monitor and assess billabong ecosystem processes, such as rates of respiration and primary production, in response to vegetation management (burning) and/or natural and managed flooding. The ultimate goal is to inform their adaptive management of billabongs and improve environmental watering and vegetation management activities.

Advantages: experience working with industry (Melbourne Water) and Traditional Owners on real-world projects.

Dr Ryan Burrows,Waterways Ecosystem Research Group (School of Agricultural, Food and Ecosystem Sciences) & Melbourne Water (Waterways, Biodiversity and Environment Team)
ryan.burrows@unimelb.edu.au