Fire attack scars local landscape and wildlife
Tue 18 November 2008
Andrea Dudley, Bachelor of Communication
Deliberately lit fires which recently ravaged Noosa National Park have devastated a delicate and significant ecosystem, with native animal populations facing a decline.
University of the Sunshine Coast lecturer in wildlife ecology Scott Burnett said although fire is necessary for the maintenance of many Australian ecosystems, deliberately lit, high intensity fires where land is extensively burnt can cause widespread loss of wildlife and habitats.
“Any of those fires where you see the hollow trees burning like roman candles are terrible,” Dr Burnett said.
Dr Burnett said it could take 50 to 80 years for the area to return to its previous state of equilibrium, complete with fallen logs and hollow tree habitats, and that the crux of the issue was not the fire itself but the nature of the fire.
“Getting rid of fire altogether is not an option at all,” Dr Burnett said.
“In fact getting rid of it can be just as bad as having too much fire.”
Dr Burnett said the rare ground parrot, which inhabits wallum, a treeless heath, is “a good case study in the uncertainties”.
Dr Burnett said when wallum is burnt out, the vulnerable parrot loses its only food source.
However, if fire doesn’t pass through, trees start to colonise and dominate the landscape. The ecosystem changes and the ground parrot again loses its food supply.
“It’s a balancing act, and we don’t know where the balance lies in terms of too much fire and not enough fire, for ground parrots in particular,” Dr Burnett said.
Environmental Protection Agency senior conservation officer for the Sunshine Coast and Burnett region Rowena Thomas said controlled burns conducted by the department are planned to take into account the conservation values and management needs of the area.
“High intensity fire could damage the plant communities’ ability to regenerate,” Ms Thomas said.
Ms Thomas said many coastal plants have developed methods of regeneration that use fire as a means of renewal, but that repeated fires over short intervals results in plants being unable to reach reproductive age or develop the ability to re-sprout.
Over time this can lead to loss of some species from the ecosystem.
“Conversely, no fire in the system will allow longer lived species to dominate, again creating an imbalance in the ecosystem,” Ms Thomas said.
Ms Thomas said the fire-affected area at Noosa comprised banksia and eucalypt woodlands, open heath, and wet sedgelands.
It contained six vegetation types that are naturally restricted to the coastal strip, with much of the significant habitat already having been lost to development.
Ms Thomas said the intensity of the fire and type of vegetation determines recovery time.
“The majority of the species in the heath and sedgeland vegetation will be reaching maturity within six years,” Ms Thomas said.
“However, the woodlands and forest vegetation would take at least twice as long.”
Ms Thomas said the area supported a number of threatened plants, including Christmas Bells and rare sedges, as well as three vulnerable acid frog species and the endangered ground parrot.
“Deliberately lit fires often affect a greater area than a planned burn, which may adversely affect animals dependant on that habitat,” Ms Thomas said.
Wildlife Volunteers Association chairwoman and environment officer Lyndall Pettett said animals were very specific and predictable in their requirements for food and breeding, depending entirely on habitat as their food source, social environment, home and protection.
“This type of disturbance causes animals to lose predator avoidance tactics, energy and colonisation skills,” Ms Pettett said.
Additionally, those that are not killed as a direct result of fire suffer in other ways.
Ms Pettett said surviving animals are burnt on paws, feet and scales as they attempt to move over ground from isolated pockets of shelter.
Such injuries can cause systemic infections which eventually kill the animal.
Ms Pettett said displaced animals are forced to move into surrounding areas and subsequently interact, fight and die as they compete with existing populations.
Smoke inhalation also contributes to deaths, affecting animals hiding in hollows or cracks underground.
“Native animals have lousy immune systems when compared to humans,” Ms Pettett said.
“So any injury or infection takes a much longer time to heal and are primary causes of death.”
She suggested anyone finding injured wildlife should use a towel to pick up the animal, place it in a warm, quiet area and immediately phone the WILVOS hotline on 5445 6200. Local veterinarians will also treat the animal free of charge.
A change of attitude in those responsible is possible.
Ms Pettett said a female possum with a baby in her pouch was set alight by youths several years ago, suffering 30 per cent burns to her body.
Treatment healed the wounds, but the possum was blinded by the fire and not capable of fending for herself in the wild.
Euthanasia was the only humane option once the baby reached a viable size.
The youths were ordered to care for the animal as part of their punishment.
“It was somewhat amazing to see these youths change from the attitude of ‘this is [lousy] punishment - having to clean possum poo, cut down flora and clean cages every day’, to the youths who cried the day she was euthanased,” Ms Pettett said.
“This is the sort of punishment that fits the crime.”
Image(s) designed by Andrea Dudley
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Submitted Comments
I really loved this article and the photo. I think the story about the youths who had to care for the possum they had damaged as a result of their careless actions was terrific.
christine hobba