Optimal Fire Management for Maintaining Community Diversity

Richards, Shane A.; Possingham, Hugh P.; Tizard, James

doi:10.2307/2641336

Cited by 28 publications

(35 citation statements)

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“…Such models have been further developed to include dynamics such as fire explicitly (e.g., see examples in Akçakaya et al 2004). Uncertainty arises because the characteristics of a natural disturbance regime can be difficult to estimate and fire regimes are difficult to manage (Burgman 1996, Richards et al 1999.…”

Section: Managing Landscapesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Managing Landscapes for Conservation Under Uncertainty

Burgman

Lindenmayer

Elith

2005

Ecology

164

131

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Abstract. In ecology, populations may be linked conceptually with landscapes through habitat and spatial population models. Usually, these models deal with single species and treat a range of uncertainties implicitly and explicitly. They assist managers in testing different management scenarios and making strategic decisions. Landscape pattern analysis was the first attempt to deal with multiple species, and it led to a range of landscape management strategies. Advances in landscape ecology, driven largely by the pragmatic needs of conservation, are building approaches to multispecies management that have stronger ecological foundations. However, their treatment of uncertainty is in its infancy. In this paper, we provide examples to illustrate some of these issues. We conclude that one of the most important sources of uncertainty is the choice of the modeling frame. We recommend that landscape planners use different kinds of models, identify important sources of uncertainty that may affect planning decisions, and seek options that are likely to result in tolerable outcomes, despite uncertainty.

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Section: Managing Landscapesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Managing Landscapes for Conservation Under Uncertainty

Burgman

Lindenmayer

Elith

2005

Ecology

164

131

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“…This will protect 'source' areas of Slender-billed Thornbills, which facilitate recolonisation of burnt areas, while providing habitat for a full range of mallee-and heath-dependent flora and fauna. This proposed fine-scale mosaic is in keeping with recent plans for management of Ngarkat (Richards et al 1999) and consistent with that proposed for other threatened Australian bird taxa (Woinarski and Recher 1997).…”

Section: Are Frequent Fires Necessary?mentioning

confidence: 57%

Responses to fire of Slender-billed Thornbills,Acanthiza iredalei hedleyi, in Ngarkat Conservation Park, South Australia. I. Densities, group sizes, distribution and management issues

Ward

Paton

2004

Emu - Austral Ornithology

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Abstract. The Slender-billed Thornbill, Acanthiza iredalei hedleyi , was studied in recently burnt, regenerating and mature heath (3, 10 and 22 years since fire respectively) in Ngarkat Conservation Park, South Australia. Data collected between 1991 and 2002 demonstrated that densities peaked seven years after fire at 0.26 birds ha -1 , while densities were lower and less variable in unburnt mature heath. Comprehensive searches in spring 2000 confirmed this trend, with densities varying from 0.02 birds ha -1 in mature heath, to 0.06 and 0.07 birds ha -1 in burnt and regenerating heath.Between spring 2000 and autumn 2001 group sizes increased in the recently burnt heath from 4.3 to 6.3 birds per group. However, group sizes did not increase over the same period in the regenerating and mature heaths. Between 1991 and 2002 group sizes did not differ significantly between heaths that had been burnt since 1990 (2.7 birds per group) and mature heath burnt in 1978 (2.7 birds per group).In the mature heath, Slender-billed Thornbills demonstrated strong fidelity for certain areas and were observed feeding juvenile birds on a number of occasions. This suggests that birds can persist in mature heath, albeit at low densities and in isolated areas of suitable habitat, and that frequent fires are not essential for population persistence. Furthermore, long-term records suggest that recolonisation of recently burnt heath is likely to occur from adjacent unburnt heath and is more successful after smaller fires. Therefore, in order to protect areas from which Slenderbilled Thornbills can disperse into recently burnt habitats in Ngarkat, a spatial mosaic of habitats at different stages of post-fire succession is required.

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“…Effects of fire and grazing on vegetation pattern, and succession with respect to maintaining community diversity, are concerns of researchers, managers, and conservation planners (Turner et al, 1994;Richards et al, 1999;Fairbanks and Benn, 2000;. In conservation areas, promoting spatially and temporally variable fire regimes may be the best strategy for conserving biotic diversity (Mentis and Bailey, 1990;Kutiel, 1994).…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Trends in fire patterns in a southern African savanna under alternative land use practices

Hudak

Fairbanks

Brockett

2004

Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment

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Climate, topography, vegetation and land use interact to influence fire regimes. Variable fire regimes may promote landscape heterogeneity, diversification in vegetation pattern and biotic diversity. The objective was to compare effects of alternative land use practices on landscape heterogeneity. Patch characteristics of fire scars were measured from 21 annual burn maps produced from 1972 to 2001 Landsat imagery. Trends in fire patterns under alternative land use practices were compared across a 250,000 ha savanna in southern Africa partitioned into three land use zones. Zone 1, Madikwe Game Reserve (MGR), has had mostly prescribed fires since 1993. Zone 2, cattle farms near MGR in South Africa (SAF), has experienced occasional fires. Zone 3, communal grazing lands in neighboring Botswana (BOT), has had the fewest fires. Cattle ranching was the predominant land use throughout the study area until 1992, when land use switched to conservation and eco-tourism in MGR. Sixteen landscape metrics were applied to this data set to uncover trends in the patch characteristics of the fire scars. A principal components analysis (PCA) reduced the dimensionality of the results so trends in the 10 most important size, shape, and proximity metrics could be better interpreted. The PCA results showed that more burning over time in MGR, and to a lesser extent in SAF, increased patch size, size variability, shape complexity and proximity, while fire exclusion in BOT produced no change or decreasing trends. We tested for significant differences in these metrics between the three land use zones and between two periods, 1972-1992 and 1993-2001. Most patch characteristics in MGR and SAF differed significantly from those in BOT, especially during the latter period, while between MGR and SAF they did not. Patch area, shape complexity and core area increased significantly between periods in MGR, while patch size, size variability and core area increased significantly between periods in SAF. In BOT, no patch characteristics changed significantly between periods. Within the time span analyzed for the study area, we conclude that increased fire occurrence promoted landscape heterogeneity while fire exclusion did not. Published by Elsevier B.V.

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Optimal Fire Management for Maintaining Community Diversity

Cited by 28 publications

References 0 publications

Managing Landscapes for Conservation Under Uncertainty

Managing Landscapes for Conservation Under Uncertainty

Responses to fire of Slender-billed Thornbills,Acanthiza iredalei hedleyi, in Ngarkat Conservation Park, South Australia. I. Densities, group sizes, distribution and management issues

Trends in fire patterns in a southern African savanna under alternative land use practices

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