Conservation fire management review released

31/7/02
The State Government today released a major review of the Department of Conservation and Land Management's fire policy and operations.
The review is the second step in the Government's three-stage strategy to ensure fire management in the natural landscape is in line with the State's nature conservation objectives.
The first stage was a three-day scientific and community symposium on the impact of fire on South-West ecosystems that attracted 350 delegates. The third stage will be an independent public review of the department's fire management by the Environmental Protection Authority.
Environment and Heritage Minister Dr Judy Edwards today said the aim of the Government's strategy was to build effective co-operative and on-going relationships between fire ecologists, fire managers, volunteers and the broader community.
"There is no doubt that the community at large wants to ensure that fire is managed in a variety of ways to conserve our flora and fauna as well as reducing the threat and hazard of inevitable summer wildfires," Dr Edwards said.
"Fire in the natural environment is one of the most contentious issues facing land managers. It also is not widely understood among the general community even though fire is one of the forces of life for our native plants and animals.
"Changing land uses, particularly the end to logging old-growth forests under the Government's Protecting our old-growth forests policy, also mean that we need to reassess our fire management objectives.
"In particular, we need to look forward so that we achieve a balance between conserving our biological diversity while at the same time helping protect towns and communities from the inevitable summer wildfires."
The review of the department's fire operations in the South-West forest areas was carried out by the department's Pilbara Region manager, Chris Muller. Mr Muller was the prime architect of the Wildfire Threat Analysis that the department uses to assess the risk and likely impact of wildfires.
The review covers a wide range of issues including fire research, legal aspects, conservation of biodiversity and other values, fire fighter safety, wildfire response, fire management plans, communications and staffing matters.
Dr Edwards said it reflected the department's new direction in terms of its key responsibilities in conserving the State's biodiversity and the nature of WA.
The Minister also released the department's response to the 43 recommendations of the internal review.
"The report and the response are very open and honest," she said.
"The department has already started working on ways to ensure that its fire management activities are open to public scrutiny and that community views are taken into account, especially in relation to planned burns.
"One of the critical recommendations is that the department develops a planning framework for the use of fire to achieve both biodiversity conservation objectives as well as meeting local community expectations in respect to the department's fire management resources and operations.
"The review, along with the proceedings of the fire ecology symposium, will make a valuable contribution to the EPA's public review to be initiated later this year."
Copies of the review and the department's response are available on the department's Internet site at http://www.naturebase.net.
Minister's office: 9220 5050