Ecological fire management strategies
The department is developing a series of ecological fire management strategies for several significant threatened or pest species for which fire is a critical threat or management tool.
The objective of the strategies is to develop a consistent approach to ecological fire management for significant species. The strategies are developed using the same risk assessment methodology applied in the department's fire management planning.
In summary, an ecological fire management strategy contains the following information:
- basic species information
- risks posed by inappropriate fire regimes
- fire management objectives and strategies
- actions to mitigate the assessed risks.
Strategies have been created for the following species:
Smoke taint management
Although, smoke taint is not an ecological fire management strategy it has been included here as prescribed burning has the potential to affect grape growers. Read the Smoke Taint Fire Management Strategy.
Ecological fire management guidelines
The department has developed Ecological Fire Management Guidelines to inform prescribed burning in conservation zones. This information provides land managers in South Australia with guidance on fire regimes that are appropriate for the maintenance of broad biodiversity values for all fire-prone vegetation types that occur in the state.
These guidelines are a recommended approach to developing ecological fire regimes (that is, fire regimes to maintain and enhance biodiversity). Specifically, the Guidelines identify five aspects of fire regimes (interval, frequency, spatial, intensity and season) for each major vegetation sub-group in a planning area. The Guidelines are not designed to be used as prescriptions; instead they define a window of 'acceptable' fire regime suitable for the conservation of the vegetation sub-group.
