28 November 2023. AgForce CEO Michael Guerin.
The ferocity of recent bushfires so early in the summer season has shocked many of us.
The Rural Fire Brigade Association is warning that it’s the worst fire season the state has experienced in 70 years.
The Western Downs copped the brunt of it, with dozens of homes lost. Carnarvon Gorge is also badly damaged as are areas in the North. It’s impact on the regions will last for years. And it should not have burnt the way it did.
Sad to say, so much destruction could potentially have been prevented. Not implementing many of the fire mitigation recommendations from the 2018 Queensland Bushfires Review has probably cost Queensland dearly.
A lot of the fires that have caused so much damage recently, emanated from state managed land where prior prescribed burns and other fire mitigation practices recommended in the 2018 review were not executed.
Extreme fire intensity in the inevitable dry periods not only puts human and animal welfare at risk, placing an enormous emotional burden on communities; but it also sterilises soils and damages ecosystems for years to come.
In many regions of Queensland this also poses an added risk to Reef Water Quality.
Wildfires cause harm in so many more ways than just the damage from the fire itself. They remove ground cover, cause erosion, and increase sediment and nutrient loads in waterways. Ash deposits release phosphorus and nitrogen into streams and reduce dissolved oxygen levels in our precious river systems.
Two opportunities to remedy this come immediately to mind, with AgForce and industry seeking a co-design process with the state and federal government to:
- Enact the recommendations from the 2018 Queensland Bushfires Review in full, as soon as possible, including providing adequate resourcing for the growing public estates.
- Review the immediate term need, or indeed requirement, of continued property audits against the grazing minimum practice ERA standard in reef catchments for affected areas.
Working together produces stronger results – we know that. Everybody wants stronger biodiversity, landscapes, and communities.
Difficult as it is – let’s use this latest disaster to pause and enable a genuine two way conversation between Industry and Government, and take some strong steps together to avoid a repeat of this most recent disaster. I know AgForce is up for it.
