海角社区

Bushfire in the landscape

Friday 1.30pm-2.30pm

Laura Gannon M海角社区

Land use planning has been framed over recent years as ‘the most potent policy lever for influencing the level of future disaster risk’. How it is utilised as a disaster risk reduction tool in a changing climate requires:

1. An appreciation bushfire hazard and how it interfaces with communities
2. A better understanding of current and potential future risk to people and place as a result of existing and future development
3. Improved considerations of cascading and cumulative effects
4. A clear suite of planning approaches that avoid or mitigate high-risk social, built environment, economic and environmental outcomes
5. Processes and practices that avoid the generation of future intolerable risk, borne by today’s decisions.

In order to understand the dimensions of bushfire hazard and risk, we must first understand its landscape context. This includes the elements that contribute to bushfire behaviour, including fire weather, fuels and topography.

This outdoor sessions will provide an introduction to these elements, using examples in bushland areas to demonstrate the effect of these attributes for improved understanding. This session will provide a brief introduction to the overall fuel hazard assessment process, including why fuels (type, arrangement and structure) are an important consideration, alongside the effect of landscape slope and fire weather.

This session will also cover the dynamics that contributed to the 2020 K’gari bushfire, the lessons learnt and how it has contributed to change in terms of natural area fire management and the application of cultural fire as part of how Country is managed.

This session will be conducted outdoors and will involve a short guided walk into the bushland areas surround Kingfisher Bay Resort. Enclosed footwear is required. Long pants, long sleeve shirt, hat, sunscreen and water is recommended.