Fire ecology and Aboriginal land management in central Arnhem Land, northern Australia: a tradition of ecosystem management

Abstract

Aim To compare fire behaviour and fire management practice at a site managed continuously by traditional Aboriginal owners with other sites in tropical northern Australia, including the nearby Kakadu National Park, and relate those observations to indicators of landscape condition. Location Dukaladjarranj, a clan estate in north‐central Arnhem Land, in the seasonal tropics of northern Australia. The site abuts a vast sandstone plateau that is an internationally recognized centre of plant and animal biodiversity. Methods Ecological assessments included: (1) mapping of the resource base of the estate from both traditional and ecological perspectives; (2) aerial survey of the extent of burning, distribution of the fire‐sensitive native pine Callitris intratropica, rock habitats, and a range of macropod and other fauna resources; (3) fauna inventory; (4) detailed ecological assessment of the status of fire‐sensitive vegetation; and (5) empirical assessment of the intensities of experimental fires. Ethnographic information concerning traditional fire management practice was documented in interviews with senior custodians. Results Experimental fires lit during the study were of low intensity compared with late dry season fires reported elsewhere, despite weather conditions favouring rapid combustion. In contrast to other parts of the savanna, fuel loads comprised mostly leaf litter and little grass. We found that (i) a large proportion of the estate had been burned during the year of the study (ii) burned sites attracted important animal food resources such as large macropods (iii) important plant foods remained abundant (iv) well represented in the landscape were fire sensitive vegetation types (e.g. Callitris intratropica Baker & Smith woodlands) and slow growing sandstone ‘heath’ typically dominated by myrtaceaous and proteaceous shrubs (v) diversity of vertebrate fauna was high, including rare or range‐restricted species (vi) exotic plants were all but absent. Traditional practice includes regular, smaller fires, lit throughout the year, and cooperation with neighbouring clans in planning and implementing burning regimes. Main conclusions We attribute the ecological integrity of the site to continued human occupation and maintenance of traditional fire management practice, which suppresses otherwise abundant annual grasses (Sorghum spp.) and limits accumulation of fuels in perennial grasses (Triodia spp.) or other litter. Suppression of fuels and coordination of fire use combine to greatly reduce wildfire risk and to produce and maintain diverse habitats. Aboriginal people derive clear economic benefits from this style of management, as evidenced by abundant and diverse animal and plant foods. However, the motives for the Aboriginal management system are complex and include the fulfillment of social and religious needs, a factor that remains important to Aboriginal people despite the rapid and ongoing transformation of their traditional lifestyles. The implication of this study is that the maintenance of the biodiv...

Landscapes without boundaries: wildlife and their environments in northern Australia

“…Recent broad-scale decline of the savanna fauna has been linked to our deliberate or inadvertent reduction in fine-scale heterogeneity, either through change from intricate to coarse-grained fire regimes or through the landscape-wide impacts of grazing by domestic and feral stock (Fisher 2001;Woinarski et al 2001;Yibarbuk et al 2001;Pardon et al 2003).…”

“…For individuals of those species that have smaller home ranges, useful heterogeneity can be provided by fire if and only if that fire is applied intricately, with fire patch sizes of the same order as home-range size (that is, ~1-10 ha for most small mammals and birds). Such a fine-scaled fire regime seems to have been that which was applied over tens of thousands of years by Aboriginal land managers, to the advantage of much of the savanna biota (Yibarbuk et al 2001;Price et al 2005). …”

Crocodiles and grey nomads: a deadly combination?

“…In heavily hunted areas, freshwater crocodiles are wary of humans (Webb & Manolis, 1993). However, the landscape is now 'very sparsely populated' outside of urban centres (Yibarbuk, Whitehead, Russell-Smith, Jackson, Godjuwa, Fisher, Cooke, Choquenot & Bowman, 2001). Presumably, this has reduced pressure on crocodile populations and wariness of humans would become less intense over time.…”

Learning from Both Sides: Experiences and Opportunities in the Investigation of Australian Aboriginal Medicinal Plants

“…At the time of European settlement in 1788, early explorers were surprised at how such a landscape had been kept curated in an almost pristine-like manner (2). Complex traditional land management practices used by Indigenous peoples helped to create the natural landscape of Australia prior to European arrival (3)(4)(5)(6). Unfortunately, as Western agricultural practices and population increase began to take effect, so did an imbalance of the once well-managed country (homelands).…”

“…While it may not be immediately apparent, a failure to address this issue has consequences for Aboriginal peoples in terms of a loss of language, culture and identity (8). Moreover, traditional management practices which have sustained the unique biodiversity that exists today on the Australian continent will also be threatened (6,9,10).…”