A Burning Question: Can Long-term Data Inform Fire Management in the Twenty-first Century? - Biodiversity Conservation and Environmental Change - page 85

identify and formalize a process that questions the underlying values and assumptions that
are made when we define a particular conservation problem (Fontaine 2011, Gillson and
Marchant 2014). In the first loop, programmatic learning, stakeholders are identified and the
problem is conceptualized. In order to do so, it is necessary to bring in knowledge of change
over time—the past variability of the landscape and the future scenarios (loop 2, temporal
perspective). This information, including knowledge of ecosystem dynamics and the 'natural'
(pre-Anthropocene) fire regime might alter how people perceive a landscape and what they
want from its future state. With this knowledge, it is then possible to define the desired range
of variability, and the thresholds at which management intervention—or the goals them-
selves—will be changed. With these TPCs defined (see Chapters 1 and 2 for more details on
TPCs), it is then possible to implement the adaptive cycle of management experiment, imple-
mentation and monitoring (loop 3, project learning), that will itself inform how problems are
framed and future TPCs defined (loop 1).
Uncertainty is inevitable and adaptation essential because ecological systems are com-
plex, and predicting the future is tentative. Fire regimes are needed that that maintain
heterogeneity and biodiversity, while meeting people's needs for safe living space, secure
property, grazing for livestock, and all of the aesthetic, cultural, and recreational needs
that are associated with fire-prone landscapes, as well as the resilience to adapt to future
environmental change. There is no one-size fits all solution to fire management, and to
be effective, an adaptive approach is needed that integrates ecological, social, and eco-
nomic objectives in the context of a changing climate (North and Keeton 2008). The
adaptive management framework presented here can be applied in fire management, or
any other ecosystem management question where variability over time is relevant (Gill-
son and Marchant 2014).
Summary: friend or foe?
Fire is an ancient feature of the biosphere, and many ecosystems and societies have coevolved
with fire. Attempts to suppress fire in such systems are futile, costly, and bad for ecosystem
function; fire suppression can lead to fuel accumulation and wildfires that damage property,
resources, and lead to loss of life. In contrast, skilful fire management can help to conserve
biodiversity and maintain heterogeneous landscapes that provide a range of ecosystem ser-
vices (Bond and Archibald 2003, Parr and Andersen 2006, Allen 2008, Whitlock et al. 2010,
Turner et al. 2013).
Palaeoecological records can help to distinguish ancient, fire-adapted systems from mod-
ern degraded ones, providing a context for understanding the landscapes that we see today. A
better understanding of past and current human influences on fire regimes will facilitate the
restoration of beneficial fire regimes. Different cultural traditions of landscape burning have
developed over time, and palaeoecological, historical, and anthropological studies can help
in evaluating their positive and negative social, economic, and ecological effects. For
example, patch mosaic burning provides a model for restoring vegetation heterogeneity, pre-
venting catastrophic late season fires, and enhancing ecosystem services and livelihoods.