Wildfires · Worldwide
‘Catastrophic wildfire loop’ created after colonisation left parts of Australia more at risk from bushfires, study finds
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The Guardian World fire coverage reports: A study by researchers and the Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation indicates that colonisation's alterations to land use in south-east Australia have created a 'catastrophic wildfire loop,' increasing vulnerability to climate-driven bushfires. The research, which involved examining 1,000 years of vegetation and fire history at Purghagoolah in Victoria, highlights the impact of the shift from open woodland to denser forests and the decline of cultural burning practices on fire intensity.
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‘Catastrophic wildfire loop’ created after colonisation left parts of Australia more at risk from bushfires, study finds
The Guardian World fire coverage reports: A study by researchers and the Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation indicates that colonisation's alterations to land use in south-east Australia have created a 'catastrophic wildfire loop,' increasing vulnerability to climate-driven bushfires. The research, which involved examining 1,000 years of vegetation and fire history at Purghagoolah in Victoria, highlights the impact of the shift from open woodland to denser forests and the decline of cultural burning practices on fire intensity.
Read original report →‘Catastrophic wildfire loop’ after colonisation left parts of Australia more at risk from bushfires, study finds
The Guardian World fire coverage reports: A study published by The Guardian highlights that colonization has significantly altered land use in south-east Australia, creating a 'catastrophic wildfire loop' that increases the region's vulnerability to climate-driven bushfires. Researchers, in collaboration with the Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation, analyzed vegetation and fire history over a millennium at Purghagoolah in Victoria, noting the shift from open woodlands to denser forests following 1788.
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