Indigenous knowledge can combat fire

After a couple of damp summers, the forecast of a long, hot summer and a high risk of bushfires is increasing interest in indigenous methods to reduce the risk to people and communities.

Ceasefire

Australia’s natural landscape has been changed by human-set fires for tens of thousands of years, and the more we burn our remnant forests, the more vulnerable to fires they become.

600 plant species at risk from frequent fires

Almost 600 Australian plant species are at heightened risk of extinction after the 2019-2020 Black Summer bushfires, new research reveals.

Green shoots of recovery

Community scientists have been photographing animals and plants in the months after the Black Summer fires. Each observation is a story of survival against the odds, or of tragedy.

Logging native forests fueled the summer bushfires

The logging of native forests increases the risk and severity of fire and had a profound effect on the recent, catastrophic Australian bushfires, according to new research.

Using maths against the bushfires

UNSW Canberra extreme bushfire researcher and mathematical scientist, Professor Jason Sharples, has dedicated his career to understanding the complex behaviour of bushfires.

Out of the ashes

Rather than an untidy mess, fire-damaged trees and half burnt logs left behind by a fire are valuable habitat for recovering wildlife, according to a group of leading Australian environmental scientists.

Do we need a bushfire royal commission?

The prime minister has announced that the cabinet will consider a royal commission into aspects of the ongoing fire disaster once the bushfires are under control, so how might this be organised to ensure it produces results?

How bad is breathing bushfire smoke?

Once the smoke clears, and the immediate issues of infrastructure, jobs and lives are being rebuilt – there will be ongoing questions about the health impacts of urban populations breathing air heavy with bushfire smoke for weeks on end.

The fires expose celebrity faultlines

The connection of the bushfire disaster with climate change is also increasing scrutiny of celebrities and their endorsements.

Communities must band together against bushfires

As Australia confronts devastating bushfire conditions, people across the nation are doing all they can to ensure the safety of their homes, property and loved ones.

We’re not powerless in the face of bushfires

The fires devastating Australia – and other regions of the world – are a direct or indirect consequence of human actions, and so we also have the power to prevent them, if we choose to act.