Causes of Big Bushfires in Australia: Higher Temperatures and Rainfall or More Fuel?

The 2019-2020 bushfires in Australia caused the loss of 34 lives and an estimated 100 bn AU$ damage. This has sharpened the apparent division between Australians who believe that the increasing number of bushfires is due to climate change, and those who suggest that fuel loads must be managed more carefully. Bushfires whose area equals or exceeds 1 mHa have been analysed in this paper. The results show that the number, duration, and size have increased over the period 1850-2020, but that since 1953, there has been a downward trend in the number of big bushfires. There is a range of temperatures of about 20°C that are associated with the fires, with a modal temperature of 30°C - 32.5°C. Using an analysis of the maximum temperatures for the period 1970-2020 as a standard for comparison with bushfires for the period 1850-2020, shows that during bushfire events the standardised temperatures have a downward trend. This is most clearly shown by the application of the Fisher Exact Test. This suggests that the fuel load in forests is a key factor for bushfires. The role of pre-bushfire rainfall shows a rapid rise in the area burnt when the rainfall exceeds 150 mm month-1 which would lead to more plant growth and hence fuel load. The role of traditional burning over the whole of Australia is described based on documentary evidence. A tentative cost benefit analysis has shown that a comprehensive program of wildfire management is cost effective. The recommendations of previous research, National Inquiries and more recent management practices, have all failed to prevent the 2019-20 fire disaster in Australia.

Analysis of Bushfires Spatial and Temporal Variability in Guinea

Guinea is confronted to the increasing risks of bushfires that destroy thousands of hectares of vegetation cover every year. Very little research is devoted to the variability of those fires, which makes it a serious threat to both wildlife and human habitats. The current study investigates the spatial and temporal distribution of bushfires in the period from 2003 to 2016. The method used is the geospatial technology: we first filter pixels corresponding with active light supplied by MODIS images (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) and estimate their densities following the square meshing procedure. Burned areas are deducted from the estimated pixel densities by calculations. The results highlight great occurrence of fires: 4 to 48 pixels of active fire per year and per 100 km2 depending on the location;2 to 5 million hectares per year of burned areas (20,000 to 50,000 sqkm). Almost 8 to 24% the size of the whole country. The prefectures of Beyla, Siguiri, Kouroussa, Kankan, Dinguiraye, Mali and Tougué are the most exposed areas. Every year, fire activities are observed as from October and between May and June. They are however mitigated according to the regions (or the geographical domains). Summits of bushfires activities are generally reached between December and January.

Effects of Bush Fires on Biodiversity in West Africa Sahel: A Review

Bush fire is one of the drivers of biodiversity loss worldwide.However,the impact of bush fires on biodiversity in the West Africa Sahel is not well documented.Therefore,this study reviewed the effects of bush fires on biodiversity,the typology of the bush fire drivers and bush fires solutions in the West Africa Sahel via a systematic review.The authors used many research engines such as Google Scholar and Mendeley from 2010 to 2022 with some keywords in French and English.It comes from the analysis of the data that Mali is the most country affected by bush fires with an average of 35,000,000 ha burned.In Burkina Faso,bush fires burned more than 2 million hectares each year.The analysis showed also a loss of 1,675,157 ha in Niger and 56,568.10 ha in Senegal.The study recommends that climate actions should target bush fires prevention and fighting as climate response in order to promote sustainable biodiversity management in the West Africa Sahel.The study recommends also that West Africa Sahel countries develop bushfire community education programs for fire prevention.

Usage of Cool Burning as a Contributor to Bushfire Mitigation

This paper considers and describes the cool burning techniques long utilized by Australian Indigenous people as a contributor to bushfire mitigation. Indigenous fire management involves lighting the “cool” fires in selected areas between March and July, in Australia, during the early dry season. The fires burn gradually, reducing fuel loads and creating fire breaks and not all of the area is burnt. Late in the dry season, when the weather is very hot, the method removes fuel for larger fires while maintaining and protecting habitat for mammals, reptiles, insects and birds. The management of Indigenous cultural fire offers an Indigenous viewpoint for wider control of fire and cultural fire management is an opportunity for collaborations to encourage Aboriginal empowerment with public and private sector organisations. Effective cool burning in contemporary prescribed burning activities can be achieved through implementation of good training, strong partnerships, carefully considered on ground practices and appropriate and effective techniques.

Impact of Australia’s catastrophic 2019/20 bushfire season on communities and environment.Retrospective analysis and current trends

2019/20 Australia’s bushfire season(Black Summer fires)occurred during a period of record breaking tempera-tures and extremely low rainfall.To understand the impact of these climatic values we conducted a preliminary analysis of the 2019/20 bushfire season and compared it with the fire seasons between March 2000 and March 2020 in the states of New South Wales(NSW),Victoria,and South Australia(SA).Forest and fire management in Australia were asked to provide data on the number of fires,burned area,life and house loss,as well as weather conditions.By March 2020 Black Summer fires burnt almost 19 million hectares,destroyed over 3,000 houses,and killed 33 people.Data showed that they were unprecedented in terms of impact on all areas.A number of mega-fires occurred in NSW resulting in more burned area than in any fire season during the last 20 years.One of them was the largest recorded forest fire in Australian history.Victoria had a season with the highest number of fires,area burned,and second highest numbers of houses lost for the same period.SA had the highest number of houses lost in the last 20 years.Black Summer fires confirmed existing trends of impact categories during the last two decades for NSW and Victoria.It showed that the smoke from the bushfires may be a significant concern in the future for the global community,as it travels to other countries and continents.Based on preliminary data,it will take many years to restore the economy and infrastructure in impacted areas,and to recover animal and vegetation biodiversity.