Altered fire regimes pressure on Fraser Island (K'gari)
Key Finding
Appropriate fire regimes are critical to maintaining many of the property’s World Heritage values.
Unplanned and unmanaged fires have the potential to significantly impact many of the island’s Outstanding Universal Value attributes.
Climate change predictions regarding increased temperatures and longer periods of drought exacerbate the likelihood of unplanned wildfires.
Hence appropriate fire regimes are critical to maintaining World Heritage values directly associated with criterion ix (ecological and biological processes) and vegetation community structure, floristics and extent.
Park managers undertake active fire management planning and implementation on K’gari.
- Increased understanding of the interactions between fire and the World Heritage values is necessary to refine future fire management strategies.
- Butchulla Land and Sea Rangers and scientists are working with Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service to develop fire management policies incorporating planned cultural burning regimes.
- Cultural burning (cool, patchwork burns) provides an opportunity to control hot burns on the island under likely future climate change scenarios. These burning practices may also help reduce the impact of myrtle rust.
This threat is currently considered ‘low’.
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