Communities and bushfire hazard in Australia: More questions than answers

Abstract

The issue of communities and their exposure to bushfire hazard is highly topical internationally. There is a perceived trend of greater exposure to bushfire risk which is exacerbated by increased levels of building in fire-prone areas or peri-urban regions. There is a need to clarify what we understand to be peri-urban regions, and how we conceptualise and describe the communities that reside in them, in order that efficient and effective services are provided. However, more questions arise for us. For example: Where are these communities located? What do we know about the people who live there? What are the implications for bushfire mitigation? Despite being problematic, locality remains important to the understanding of communities, bushfire hazard and delivery of services. r

The gendered dimensions of bushfire in changing rural landscapes in Australia

“…The above points, however, do not translate into straightforward cultural change reflected in ready distinctions between newcomers and longer-term landholders (Cottrell, 2005;Robbins et al, 2009). It is apparent from the study from which this paper derives that traditional gendered dimensions of bushfire and emergency services remain intact albeit amid changing social circumstances.…”

Vulnerability to bushfires in rural Australia: A case study from East Gippsland, Victoria

“…This paper therefore contributes to the growing body of research that seeks to redress this imbalance (e.g. Gill, 1994;Whittaker and Mercer, 2004;Cottrell, 2005;Handmer and Haynes, 2008;. It also seeks to contribute to the wider literature on economic and social change in rural places.…”

Wildfire risk, biodiversity and peri-urban planning in the Mt Lofty Ranges, South Australia

“…Such human relationships with forests are not fixed in time, and changing perceptions of value and risk need to be reflected in vegetation management. While Gill (1994) partly framed the role of culture in wildfire management in SA, Cottrell (2005), Pyne (2009) and a review by Eriksen and Head (2014), all suggest that gaps remain in our understanding of the cultural interpretations of landscapes, vegetation and fire in upland areas, especially as culture relates to planning within the periurban space. Historical and contemporary links between people and landscape have strongly influenced the Mt Lofty Ranges and now raise new and important questions for policy.…”

“…Consequently fears of the forest diminished and positive values of the vegetated fringes were emphasized, including their amenity, cool climate, resources, and recreational opportunities (Kelly, 2009). Summer retreats within the relatively cool, vegetated uplands developed in association with train lines from the 1880s, as they did across Australia, which led subsequently to upland suburban development with the rise of the automobile (Cottrell, 2005;Freeland, 1972;Smith & Pate, 2006).…”