Emissions mitigation opportunities for savanna countries from early dry season fire management

Lipsett-Moore, Geoffrey J.; Wolff, Nicholas H.; Game, Edward T.

doi:10.1038/s41467-018-04687-7

Cited by 87 publications

(117 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…They found that, whilst annually variable, the savanna burning projects are meeting these goals. Due to these successes, Australia's Indigenous savanna burning program is considered a world leader, with interest from peoples in savanna regions globally to instigate similar programs [34]. Indigenous savanna burning projects aim to use cross-cultural science (Indigenous and western knowledge systems [35]) for best-practice adaptive management of fire, incorporating natural and cultural values.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Indigenous Knowledge and Seasonal Calendar Inform Adaptive Savanna Burning in Northern Australia

et al. 2020

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Indigenous fire management is experiencing a resurgence worldwide. Northern Australia is the world leader in Indigenous savanna burning, delivering social, cultural, environmental and economic benefits. In 2016, a greenhouse gas abatement fire program commenced in the savannas of south-eastern Arnhem Land in the Northern Territory, managed by the Indigenous Yugul Mangi rangers. We undertook participatory action research and semi-structured interviews with rangers and Elders during 2016 and 2019 to investigate Indigenous knowledge and obtain local feedback about fire management. Results indicated that Indigenous rangers effectively use cross-cultural science (including local and Traditional Ecological Knowledge alongside western science) to manage fire. Fire management is a key driver in the production of bush tucker (wild food) resources and impacts other cultural and ecological values. A need for increased education and awareness about Indigenous burning was consistently emphasized. To address this, the project participants developed the Yugul Mangi Faiya En Sisen Kelenda (Yugul Mangi Fire and Seasons Calendar) that drew on Indigenous knowledge of seasonal biocultural indicators to guide the rangers’ fire management planning. The calendar has potential for application in fire management planning, intergenerational transfer of Indigenous knowledge and locally driven adaptive fire management.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Indigenous Knowledge and Seasonal Calendar Inform Adaptive Savanna Burning in Northern Australia

et al. 2020

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“…Such trade‐offs have received little attention (Abreu et al., ; Archibald, ; Richards et al., ). Given (a) the rapid up‐take of savanna burning (Figure ), (b) interest from some groups in adding biodiversity credits to fire projects (Fitzsimmons et al., ), and (c) the potential to apply savanna fire management for emissions control globally (Lipsett‐Moore et al., ), it is important that potential trade‐offs are considered, so that any negative impacts on biodiversity can be avoided.…”

Section: Potential For Bioperversity From Savanna Fire Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Tree plantings and avoided deforestation are two well‐known examples (e.g., Lindenmayer et al., ; Phelps, Friess, & Webb, ). Another potential example is fire management in tropical savannas, the most fire‐prone landscapes on Earth (Lipsett‐Moore, Wolff, & Game, ). Savanna fires emit substantial quantities of the greenhouse gases (GHG) methane and nitrous oxide, and “savanna burning,” an accountable activity under the Kyoto Protocol, has been identified as a major GHG abatement opportunity globally (Lipsett‐Moore et al., ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The development of a carbon economy is driving land management changes that potentially provide win-win outcomes for environments and economies (Bradshaw et al, 2013). Tree plantings and avoided deforestation are two well-known an accountable activity under the Kyoto Protocol, has been identified as a major GHG abatement opportunity globally (Lipsett-Moore et al, 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Better biodiversity accounting is needed to prevent bioperversity and maximize co‐benefits from savanna burning

Corey¹,

Andersen

Legge

et al. 2019

CONSERVATION LETTERS

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Strategies for mitigating climate change through altered land management practices can provide win–win outcomes for the environment and the economy. Emissions trading for greenhouse gas (GHG) abatement in Australia's remote, fire‐prone, and sparsely populated tropical savannas provides a financial incentive for intensive fire management that aims to reduce fire frequency, severity, and extent, and it supports important social, economic, and land management opportunities for remote communities, conservation agencies, and pastoralists. These programs now cover >20% of Australia's 1.9 million km2 tropical savanna biome, encompassing areas of globally significant biodiversity value. A common assertion is that by reducing the frequency, severity, and extent of fires for GHG abatement, these programs provide biodiversity co‐benefits. However, such biodiversity benefits have been assumed rather than demonstrated. Much better accounting of how biodiversity is responding to changed fire management is required to ensure that there are no unintended outcomes for biodiversity (bioperversity), and that biodiversity co‐benefits are maximized. Such accounting could underpin the earning of formal biodiversity credits from improved fire management, and will go a long way to understanding and improving the biodiversity outcomes of savanna fire management.

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“…Lastly, our findings here provide useful quantification of the degree to which different fire regimes can suppress aboveground carbon storage, and how this changes with spatial context. These trends are of global significance, at a time when many countries hosting the savanna biome are contemplating carbon sequestration initiatives (Bradshaw et al 2013, Russell-Smith et al 2013, Lipsett-Moore et al 2018.…”

Section: Implications For Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Variability in fire‐induced change to vegetation physiognomy and biomass in semi‐arid savanna

et al. 2018

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Fire plays an intrinsic role in shaping the biophysical attributes of savanna ecosystems. Savanna fires limit vegetation biomass below their climatically determined potential, but the magnitude of this effect and how it varies across heterogeneous landscapes are poorly understood. In this study, we explore woody tree structure and canopy characteristics across a fire manipulation experiment that has been maintained for 63 yr in South Africa's Kruger National Park. Our study design assessed three late dry‐season fire regimes (biennial, triennial, and unburnt) across a precipitation gradient (737–496 mm/yr) spanning four different landscapes with a mixture of sandy and clay soils. We used terrestrial laser scanning (TLS) to quantify tree height, canopy cover, and aboveground carbon storage across the experimental treatments. Vegetation physiognomy was influenced by the interaction between landscape and fire frequency. In the absence of fire, woody height, cover, and biomass increased with increasing rainfall. The presence of fire acted to reduce structure and biomass as expected, but the magnitude of this effect increased with increasing rainfall. We found minimal difference between the effects of biennial or triennial burning—except at the wettest site where the triennial fire plots had half the biomass of those burnt biennially. The rainfall dependent fire–vegetation relationships shown here provide empirical quantification of top‐down constraint by fire and highlight the challenges of predicting responses to disturbances in these inherently heterogeneous ecosystems. Robust quantification of 3D structure and dynamics through TLS will be useful for constraining carbon stock models and predicting trajectories of change under future climate and land‐use conditions.

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Emissions mitigation opportunities for savanna countries from early dry season fire management

Cited by 87 publications

References 31 publications

Indigenous Knowledge and Seasonal Calendar Inform Adaptive Savanna Burning in Northern Australia

Indigenous Knowledge and Seasonal Calendar Inform Adaptive Savanna Burning in Northern Australia

Better biodiversity accounting is needed to prevent bioperversity and maximize co‐benefits from savanna burning

Variability in fire‐induced change to vegetation physiognomy and biomass in semi‐arid savanna

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