Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area Bushfire and Climate Change Research Project
This research project examines how climate change will affect future fire danger and other variables that may lead to an increased risk of bushfire and possible impacts on the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area (TWWHA). It provides recommendations on the most appropriate methods for monitoring and recording vegetation dryness levels within the TWWHA as well as examines firefighting techniques, interventions and resources that can be safely and effectively employed by the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service and the Tasmania Fire Service.
This report concludes that the risks of bushfire to the TWWHA will increase in coming years under the influence of climate change. It is likely that climatic conditions like those in 2016 will re-occur, and other aspects of fire risk will also increase. It is therefore important to take the lessons learned from the 2016 bushfires, and the climate projections referred to in this report, to prepare for a future where fire management in the TWWHA is expected to be more challenging. The increase in bushfire risk has already started, and changes to management are needed now and well into the future.