European colonization and the emergence of novel fire regimes in southeast Australia
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 4189092 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Matthew Adesanya Adeleye (0000-0002-6034-5807, Australian National University, corresponding author), Simon Connor (0000-0001-5685-2390, Australian National University), Simon Edward Connor, Simon Graeme Haberle, Simon Haberle (0000-0001-5802-6535, Australian National University), Annika Herbert (0000-0001-9322-043X, Australian Research Council), Josephine R Brown (0000-0002-1100-7457, The University of Melbourne), Josephine Brown (0000-0002-2511-8756) |
| Year | 2022 |
| Volume | 9 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 537-549 |
| Publication date | 2022-12-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | The Anthropocene Review (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2053-0196 • E-ISSN: 2053-020X |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/20530196211044630 |
| OpenAlex | W3199356393 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 7 |
| References cited | 62 |
The rapid increase in severe wildfires in many parts of the world, especially in temperate systems, requires urgent attention to reduce fires' catastrophic impacts on human lives, livelihoods, health and economy. Of particular concern is southeast Australia, which harbours one of the most flammable vegetation types on Earth. While previous studies suggest climate and European activities drove changes in southeast Australian fire regimes in the last 200 years, no study has quantitatively tested the relative roles of these drivers. Here, we use a Generalized Linear Modelling to identify the major driver(s) of fire regime change in the southeast Australian mainland during and prior to European colonization. We use multiple charcoal and pollen records across the region and quantitatively compare fire history to records of climate and vegetation change. Results show low levels of biomass burned before colonization, when landscapes where under Indigenous management, even under variable climates. Biomass burned increased markedly due to vegetation/land-use change after colonization and a major decline in regional precipitation about 100 years later. We conclude that Indigenous-maintained open vegetation minimized the amount of biomass burned prior to colonization, while European-suppression of Indigenous land management has amplified biomass accumulation and fuel connectivity in southeast Australian forests since colonization. While climate change remains a major challenge for fire mitigation, implementation of a management approach similar to the pre-colonial period is suggested to ameliorate the risk of future catastrophic fires in the region
Archaeology · Biology · Biomass (ecology · Climate change · Colonization · Ecosystem · Environmental protection · Fire regime · Geography · Indigenous · Mainland · Physical geography · Shrubland · Vegetation (pathology · Fire effects on ecosystems · Geology and Paleoclimatology Research · Landslides and related hazards · Ecology
The loss of an Indigenous‐maintained She‐Oak woodland in southeast Australia
The outlawing of cultural burning on Noongar Boodja in the mid‐19th century
Fire regime change in western Tasmania between 1830 and 2025
The transition from an Indigenous to a European influenced fire regime at Lake Werri Berri, south-east Australia
Global wildfire activity re-visited
Insights into the indigenous-managed landscape in southeast Australia during the Holocene
Garden Range 2
Human exposure and sensitivity to globally extreme wildfire events
The Pacific Decadal Oscillation
The human dimension of fire regimes on Earth
Quantitative Interpretation of Fossil Pollen Spectra
Implications of a 14 200 year contiguous fire record for understanding human—climate relationships at Goochs Swamp, New South Wales, Australia
Plain facts
The loss of an indigenous constructed landscape following British invasion of Australia
New perspectives in fire management in South American savannas
Late holocene human impact on two coastal environments in New South Wales, Australia
SHCal20 Southern Hemisphere Calibration, 0–55,000 Years cal BP
Environmental Systems and Human Impact at Cobrico Crater, South‐western Victoria
A thousand years of environmental change and human impact in the alpine zone at Mt Kosciusko, New South Wales
Palaeoenyironments and human impact at Burraga Swamp in Montane rainforest, Barrington tops National Park, New South Wales, Australia
A Comparison of Charcoal and Archaeological Information to Address the Influences on Holocene Fire Activity in the Sydney Basin
From fire suppression to fire management
Resilience and fire management in the Anthropocene
The biggest estate on earth
| Unique citing works | 7 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 2,33 |
| Citation span | 2023 - 2026 (4) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 7 |