Researchers report that changing fire patterns are having a major impact on biodiversity. Areas that have escaped fire for decades or centuries feature vital structures for wildlife such as logs and tree hollows, and are critical habitat for many threatened species. They found that this long unburnt habitat is in severe decline.
Category Archives: News
IBG responds to NSW Bushfires Coronial
IBG concludes that while the recommendations are welcome, they are very limited in their scope. This and previous inquiries have only been able to scratch the surface of bushfire operations, and coronial inquiries are poorly suited to finding lessons from how fires are managed.
Findings of NSW Black Summer Bushfires Coronial handed down
On 27 March the NSW Coroner delivered a two-volume report from this lengthy inquiry into the worst fires NSW has ever seen. The inquiry extended over 78 sitting days from August 2021 to August 2023 and considered 780 witness statements.
Backburning at the NSW Bushfires Coronial
The final Stage 2 public hearings of the NSW Bushfires Coronial Inquiry took place from 15 to 26 May 2023. The topic, one of several systemic issues identified from the Stage 1 hearings, was Backburning Operations – planning and execution.
An Icon at Risk – Current and Emerging Threats to the Victorian High Country: a report produced by the Friends of the Earth, Melbourne
The Victorian Alps is an area of unique biodiversity that evolved under specific climatic conditions resulting in unique Alpine habitats that are under extreme threat from the potential impacts of climate change.
NSW Bushfires Coronial Inquiry
The NSW Bushfires Coronial Inquiry is currently conducting a series of inquests and inquiries relating to the 2019-20 NSW bushfire season. The process is explained in the Coroner’s Public Hearings Information Paper.
How effective is aerial firefighting?
In January 2023 the Bushfire and Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Centre (BNHCRC) released a tranche of reports related to the Black Summer fires (2019-2020). One of these was: Investigating the suitability of aviation tracking data for use in bushfire suppression effectiveness research.
Emergency leaders report on grass fire threat
A report from the Climate Council and Emergency Leaders for Climate Action (ELCA) has highlighted the emerging threat of grass fires after the rains of the past few years.
Black Summer bushfire research
In January 2023 the Bushfire and Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Centre (BNHCRC) released a tranche of reports on research emerging from the Black Summer fires of 2019-2020.
Audit Office report on fire fighting equipment management
A recent report from the NSW Auditor-General “assessed the effectiveness of the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) and local councils in planning and managing equipment for bushfire prevention, mitigation, and suppression.” The report focused mainly on the RFS fire fighting fleet, which comprises land vehicles, marine craft and aircraft, all of which are integral to the agency’s overall bushfire risk management.
Independent Bushfire Group 