Colonial Land Changes Created Self-Reinforcing Wildfire Cycle in South-East Australia, Study Shows

Researchers partnered with the Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation to analyse a one-metre sediment core from Purghagoolah lake, revealing a thousand-year record of pollen and charcoal in Croajingolong National Park, Victoria. The study, published in Nature, demonstrates that colonisation replaced open woodland with dense forest, eliminating Indigenous cultural burning and prompting hotter, more frequent fires that further promoted eucalypt recruitment.

Lead author Michael-Shawn Fletcher of the University of Melbourne describes the pre-colonial landscape as actively managed, noting that the land-use shift, not climate alone, drove the “catastrophic wildfire loop.” He argues that integrating Indigenous fire knowledge could help break the cycle. Fire expert David Bowman of the University of Tasmania praised the research as vital for assessing how historic fire regimes interact with current climate drivers. Both scientists hope the findings will spark renewed discussion on incorporating traditional practices into Australia’s fire-management strategies.