Patch Mosaic Burning for Biodiversity Conservation: a Critique of the Pyrodiversity Paradigm

Parr, Catherine L.; Andersen, Alan N.

doi:10.1111/j.1523-1739.2006.00492.x

Cited by 374 publications

(408 citation statements)

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“…A common assumption in fire management is that fire mosaics that contain a greater diversity of post-fire successional stages will support a higher diversity of biota; that is, "pyrodiversity begets biodiversity" (reviewed by Parr and Andersen 2006). However, this hypothesis has rarely been tested at the landscape scale.…”

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confidence: 99%

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The Mallee fire and biodiversity project

Watson¹,

Taylor²,

Spence‐Bailey³

et al. 2012

Proc. R. Soc. Vic.

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Fire is a widespread disturbance and an important ecological process in semi-arid mallee ecosystems of southern Australia. Understanding the effects of fire on plants and animals is a key challenge for the conservation and management of biodiversity in this ecosystem. Commencing in 2006, the Mallee Fire and Biodiversity Project is investigating the effects of fire on a range of taxa (vascular plants, invertebrates, reptiles, birds and mammals), with a focus on the influence of the properties of 'fire mosaics' on biota. A 'whole of landscape' design was employed, in which the flora and fauna were sampled in 28 study landscapes, each 4 km in diameter ( 2.5 km 2 ) across a 04, 000 km 2 area of the Murray Mallee region of Victoria, SA and NSW. Here, we summarise some key results and outputs from this project to date. These include: detailed maps of fire history and major vegetation types; a method for predicting the age of mallee vegetation; novel information about the distribution of fire age-classes in the region; and changes to vegetation structure and in the occurrence of reptile, bird and mammal species over a century-long post-fire time-frame. We also present an overview of the effects of fire mosaics (extent of particular age classes, diversity of fire age-classes) on the richness of some mallee fauna. A wealth of knowledge has been developed through the Mallee Fire and Biodiversity Project that will assist the management of mallee ecosystems in southern Australia for the future.

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confidence: 99%

“…The spatial properties of fires are also important in management of fire for biodiversity (Bradstock et al 2005;Parr & Andersen 2006). Fires generate heterogeneous landscapes consisting of patches with different fire histories (Turner et al 994;Bradstock et al 2005).…”

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confidence: 99%

The Mallee fire and biodiversity project

Watson¹,

Taylor²,

Spence‐Bailey³

et al. 2012

Proc. R. Soc. Vic.

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“…Price et al (2003) assessed fine-scale patchiness through field measurements in northern Australia and stated that a key issue with the above studies is that the scale of most remotely sensed imagery used, predominantly from the MODIS and Landsat sensors, cannot detect fine-scale patches (≈1m scale). Although the importance of fire patchiness has been widely questioned and recognised, evidence regarding its ecological significance is largely anecdotal (Bradstock et al 1996, Ooi et al 2006, Parr and Andersen 2006.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Fire patchiness is an important ecological component of savanna fire regimes because unburned patches can influence a variety of processes, including local extinction of and recolonisation by relative immobile fauna and poorly seed-dispersed flora (Prada 2001, Russell-Smith et al 2002b, Parr and Chown 2003, Price et al 2003. While little studied, understanding fire patchiness has significant implications for biodiversity conservation and ecologically sustainable fire management in fire-probe systems (Bradstock et al 1998, Ooi et al 2006, Parr and Andersen 2006, Driscoll et al 2010.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ecological Implications of Fine-Scale Fire Patchiness and Severity in Tropical Savannas of Northern Australia

et al. 2015

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Understanding fine-scale fire patchiness has significant implications for ecological processes and biodiversity conservation. It can affect local extinction of and recolonisation by relatively immobile fauna and poorly seeddispersed flora in fire-affected areas. This study assesses fine-scale fire patchiness and severity, and associated implications for biodiversity, in north Australian tropical savanna systems. We used line transects to sample burning patterns of ground layer vegetation in different seasons and vegetation structure types, within the perimeter of 35 fires that occurred between 2009 and 2011. We evaluated two main fire characteristics: patchiness (patch density and mean patch length) and severity (inferred from char and scorch heights, and char and ash proportions). The mean burned area of ground vegetation was 83% in the early dry season (EDS: May to July) and 93% in the late dry season (LDS: August to November). LDS fires were less patchy (smaller and fewer unburned patches), and had higher fire severity (higher mean char and scorch heights, and twice the proportion of ash) than EDS fires. Fire patchiness varied among vegetation types, declining under more open canopy structure. The relationship between burned area and fire severity depended on season, being strongly correlated in the EDS and uncorrelated in the LDS. Simulations performed to understand the implications of patchiness on the population dynamics of fire-interval sensitive plant species showed that small amounts of patchiness substantially enhance survival. Our results indicate that the ecological impacts of high frequency fires on fire-sensitive regional biodiversity elements are likely to be lower than has been predicted from remotely sensed studies that are based on assumptions of homogeneous burning. interval-sensitive plant species showed that small amounts of patchiness substantially enhance survival. Our results indicate that the ecological impacts of high frequency fires on fire-sensitive regional biodiversity elements are likely to be lower than has been predicted based on assumptions of homogeneous burning derived from remotely sensed studies.

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“…Strategies are generally limited to addition of fire through planned burning, or attempts at excluding fire to achieve required vegetation growth stages (e.g. Di Stefano et al 2013) with the intent to maximise biodiversity (Parr and Andersen 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Is there an inherent conflict in managing fire for people and conservation?

Bentley

Penman

2017

Int. J. Wildland Fire

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Abstract. Wildfires are a natural disturbance in many ecosystems, creating challenges for land management agencies who need to simultaneously reduce risk to people and maintain ecological values. Here we use the PHOENIX RapidFire fire behaviour simulator to compare fuel treatment strategies that meet the twin objectives of reducing wildfire risk to human settlements and a fire sensitive endangered species, the koala (Phascolarctos cinereus) in south-eastern Australia. The local koala population is in decline and a conservation management plan is being prepared to exclude wildfire for a 10-year period to assist with population recovery. Twelve scenarios developed by the land management agencies were compared using four indicators: wildfire size; burn probability; impact from exposure to fire; and treatment cost. Compared with the current risk setting, three treatment scenarios were found to reduce wildfire size and burn probability concurrently to both people and koalas. These strategies worked by increasing the landscape area treated, which came with increased financial cost. However, the impact from exposure to fire for both property and koala habitat remains high. Additional complementary strategies beyond landscape fuel reductions are needed to reduce impact from exposure in the event of a wildfire.

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Patch Mosaic Burning for Biodiversity Conservation: a Critique of the Pyrodiversity Paradigm

Cited by 374 publications

References 76 publications

The Mallee fire and biodiversity project

The Mallee fire and biodiversity project

Ecological Implications of Fine-Scale Fire Patchiness and Severity in Tropical Savannas of Northern Australia

Is there an inherent conflict in managing fire for people and conservation?

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