--- On Wed, 10/29/08, Evan Beaver <> wrote:
> aside, can anyone comment on this statement:
> "Bushfires are an integral part of the Australian
> ecosystem."
Aborigines shaped the Australian ecosystem through fire over thousands of
years. Fire from lightning strikes has also had an influence. As a result,
many species of native plants cannot reproduce without fire.
Check out the work of Tim Flannery e.g. http://www.abc.net.au/science/future/
Many of the horrendous wildfires we have experienced have been due to the
excessive buildup of fuel by eliminating bushfires. There are areas of
Australia where areas are burned in a controlled fashion according to
Aboriginal tradition. It helps to regenerate the ecosystem - but only in this
controlled fashion. The horrible crown fires such as the one which raged
through Namadgi National Park and continued into Canberra to destroy over 500
homes was the result of poor forest management.
Controlled burning would not release as much CO2 as uncontrolled wildfire.
It's the millions of tons of oil, coal and gas we consume that we should be
concerned about, not bushfires.
Rob
PS I just read someone else's response and yes, obviously not all habitats in
Australia require fires, especially closed canopy rainforest!
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