Editing IPCC:AR6/WGII/Chapter-2 (section)

==== 2.6.5.8 Case Study: Protecting Gondwanan Refugia against Fire in Tasmania, Australia ====

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Scale: Local

Issue: Protection of rare endemic species

The Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area (TWWHA) has a high concentration of ‘palaeo-endemic’ plant species which are restricted to living in cool, wet climates and fire-free environments, but recent wildfires have burnt substantial stands that are unlikely to recover ( [[#Harris--2018b|Harris et al., 2018b]] ; [[#Bowman--2021a|Bowman et al., 2021a]] ). The fires led to government inquiries and a fire-fighting review, which have suggested changes to management as climate change will make such fires more likely in the future ( [[#AFAC--2016|AFAC, 2016]] ; [[#Press--2016|Press, 2016]] ; [[#AFAC--2019|AFAC, 2019]] ).

Most of the TWWHA is managed as a wilderness zone and is currently carried out in a manner that allows natural processes to predominate. The exclusion of fire from stands of fire-sensitive trees such as the pencil pine, ''Athrotaxis cupressoides'' , is part of this management strategy, possible in the past due to the moisture differential and lower flammability of these areas. However, in recent years, the threat posed by extensive and repeated wildfires and increasing awareness that fire risk is likely to increase ( [[#Fox-Hughes--2014|Fox-Hughes et al., 2014]] ; [[#Love--2017|Love et al., 2017]] ; [[#Love--2019|Love et al., 2019]] ) have meant that more direct management intervention has been implemented. There has been a realisation that a ‘hands off’ approach to managing the threat will not be sufficient to protect the palaeo-endemics. Not only is fire-fighting difficult in this remote wilderness area, but limited resources mean that fire managers must prioritise where fires will be fought when many fires are threatening towns and lives across the state simultaneously.

After the wildfires in 2016 caused extensive damage ( [[#Bowman--2021a|Bowman et al., 2021a]] ), significant efforts and resources were spent trying to protect the remaining stands of pencil pine during the 2019 fires, using new approaches including the strategic application of long-term fire retardant and the installation of kilometres of sprinkler lines ( [[#AFAC--2019|AFAC, 2019]] ). These approaches are thought to have been effective at halting the fire and protecting high-value vegetation in some situations. Impact reports are currently being finalised to quantify the extent of fire-sensitive vegetation communities that have been affected. However, there is concern that these interventions may have adverse effects on the values of the TWWHA if applied widely, so while research is ongoing, these will only be applied in strategic areas (e.g., fire retardant is not being applied to some areas).

The TWWHA Management Plan (2016) emphasises Aboriginal fire management as an important value of the area, along with Aboriginal knowledge of plants, animals, marine resources and minerals (ochre and rock sources), and the connection with the area as a living and dynamic landscape. Fire management planning aims to protect important sites from fire and ensure that management does not impact Aboriginal cultural values ( [[#DPIPWE--2016|DPIPWE, 2016]] ). Increasingly, there is an acknowledgment that the cessation of traditional fire use has led to changes in vegetation and there are calls to incorporate Aboriginal burning knowledge into the fire management of the TWWHA.

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