Identifying key fire drivers in Australia; biomass, climate or people

该项目旨在更好地了解面对气候变化的澳大利亚森林火灾风险。通过比较两个千年尺度时期（一个在人类定居之前，一个在积极的土著管理期间）的三种澳大利亚生物气候中的火灾发生情况，本研究希望确定哪些因素——气候、植被剖面或景观管理——对火灾频率和严重程度影响最大。研究结果可能会产生关于过去气候如何影响澳大利亚环境的新知识；提高在新兴气候情景下对未来火灾风险的预测能力；并为如何将文化燃烧纳入火灾管理计划以减少灾难性的森林火灾提供了新的见解。

This project aims to provide a greater understanding of Australia’s bushfire risk in the face of climate change. By comparing fire occurrence in three Australian bioclimates across two millennial-scale time periods, one prior to human settlement and one during active Indigenous management, this research expects to define which factors — climate, vegetation profile, or landscape management —most impact fire frequency and severity. Outcomes will likely create new knowledge on how past climates affected the Australian environment; enhance predictive ability for future fire risks under emerging climate scenarios; and provide new insights into how cultural burning can be incorporated into fire management plans to reduce catastrophic bushfires.