Wildlife and Habitat Bushfire Recovery Taskforce
Following the 2019-20 summer bushfires across South Australia, the Minister for Environment and Water established the Wildlife and Habitat Bushfire Recovery Taskforce (Taskforce).
The Taskforce operated for 12 months. The aim of the Taskforce was to build capacity, knowledge and resources to ensure a legacy that benefits bushfire wildlife recovery in South Australia for the long-term.
Recovery framework
The Taskforce provided independent advice on the coordination of activities to benefit South Australia’s wildlife and habitat recovery effort, implemented by the National Parks and Wildlife Service South Australia (NPWSSA), within the Department for Environment and Water.
The Taskforce worked to deliver a coordinated wildlife and habitat recovery approach across all levels of government and non-government organisations, to deliver the best result for South Australia’s native plant and animal recovery.
The work of the Taskforce has informed the SA Wildlife and Habitat Bushfire Recovery Framework , led by NPWSSA.
The Framework outlines actions required to assist the recovery of wildlife and habitat after fires, from the immediate response through to the longer-term. A series of case studies are presented in the Framework to highlight the sorts of actions that are required, and were undertaken following the 2019-20 fires.
Recommendations from the Taskforce
Alongside the Recovery Framework, the Taskforce also developed a series of recommendations for addressing key issues relating to the State’s preparedness and response to wildlife and habitat recovery - Recommendations from the South Australian Wildlife and Habitat Bushfire Recovery Taskforce .
In developing its recommendations, the Taskforce considered information from a range of sources. In particular, between April and November 2020, the Taskforce received at least 19 presentations and updates on various matters of relevance to its considerations. To inform its deliberations, the Taskforce also formed seven Working Groups around identified key themes:
- Working Group 1: Wildlife welfare response
- Working Group 2: Communication
- Working Group 3: Resource coordination
- Working Group 4: Economic recovery
- Working Group 5: Community engagement
- Working Group 6: Research and science
- Working Group 7: Long-term resilience
These Working Groups were convened by Taskforce members and had membership from outside the Taskforce, allowing engagement of a wider group of experts and stakeholders. Each Working Group developed detailed recommendations for its theme and the Taskforce considered all the recommendations of the Working Groups and other evidence gathered during its considerations before agreeing on eight key recommendations.
The Government is currently considering the Recommendations and will provide it’s response early in 2022.
Meet the Taskforce
The appointed Taskforce members represent a broad cross-section of experience and backgrounds.
There are nine members of the Taskforce, with Dr Felicity-ann Lewis appointed as Chair. Read about the Taskforce members.
Get involved
You can provide feedback or contact the Taskforce directly on DEW.BushfireRecoveryTaskforce@sa.gov.au
Wildlife recovery news
To read the latest wildlife recovery news visit the NPWSSA bushfire recovery webpage.
