The Future
The “Fire by the Decades” maps below show the extent of fires in Gippsland since 1960
Climate change has resulted in the same patterns being experienced around the world. This is leading governments and communities to look at alternative ways to prevent the occurrence of bushfires and to minimise their impacts.
The importance of traditional use and management of fire is seen as increasingly important in the Victorian landscape and in September 2019 the Victorian Traditional Owner Cultural Fire Strategy was launched. The principals underlying the strategy include Right Fire, Right Time, Right Way and for Right Reasons and fire and emergency management agencies are partnering with traditional owners to co-design practices that meet the objectives of community protections whilst supporting cultural use and management of fire to heal country. Click on the image below to read to ‘Cultural Fire Strategy’.
For the successful re-introduction of cultural burning in Victoria, Traditional Owners acknowledge that a period of transition is required to accommodate the contemporary regulatory framework surrounding fire management and the changed conditions in Victoria’s natural landscapes. In many cases, Traditional Owners will need to adapt the thresholds and indicators for right fire (as part of Reading Country) and adopt an adaptive management approach. Where complementary practices can be established, this will facilitate a safe environment for Country, culture, life and property. These practices will enable cultural burning to heal or restore ‘sick’ Country (cultural landscape systems and processes currently imbalanced) and work towards creating an environment where cultural fire can be applied once again to manage Country (creation and maintenance of resilient cultural landscape systems and processes. For more information on cultural burning go to https://culturalburning.org.au/
