Understanding relationship between fire and local ecosystems

25 May 2018

Book now for Fire for Healthy Habitats on 9 June

Fire for Healthy Habitats will be theme of the final workshop in the Land for Wildlife workshop series, to be held on Saturday 9 June.

The current workshop series – launched in 2016 and funded by a National Parks and Wildlife Foundation grant with support from Council – helps private landholders learn about and manage native habitat on their land.

The half-day, free workshop will help landholders better understand the relationship between fire and some of our local ecosystems.

Council’s Project Officer, Biodiversity, Michael Corke said that while fire is an emotive topic for many people, it is an important natural phenomenon, like flood and drought.

“Fire regimes – the characteristics of individual fires and their cumulative effects on the landscape over many years – play a crucial role in shaping the abundance and distribution of plants and animals,” Mr Corke said.

“Entire ecosystems are adapted to fire which has shaped the Australian biota for millennia (biota is the animal and plant life of a particular region or habitat).

“Many native plants have adaptations which enable them to survive fire while many native animals require specific habitats which are dependent on particular fire regimes.

“Participants will visit an interesting coastal area to examine first-hand the effects of fire on a number of different coastal vegetation types and observe vegetation burnt at different times and in varying states of recovery.”

The workshop will cover approval processes and permits as well as a community-based training program enabling landholders to participate in a fire management planning program.

“Our facilitator, Andy Baker of Wildsite Ecological Services is an experienced ecologist and bushfire specialist who is passionate about our local ecosystems and it will be great to share his considerable expertise,” Mr Corke said.

Places are limited for the free workshop from 9am to 12.30 pm on Saturday 9 June so bookings are essential by phoning (02) 6670 2400.

Participants must wear clothing suitable for bushwalking including a hat and sturdy boots and they should bring drinking water. Morning tea will be provided.

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Caption: Many native plants have adaptations which enable them to survive fire. Learn more at the free Fire for Healthy Habitats workshop on 9 June. Photo: Tanya Fountain