Fire, forests and fauna (The 2020 Krebs Lecture)

Abstract

DECLARATION OF FUNDING This research did not receive any specific funding. CONFLICT OF INTEREST The author declares no conflicts of interest ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This is personal perspective on fire in Australia, but I am deeply indebted to my friend and colleague Charley Krebs for suggesting that I deliver his named lecture. I hope that he felt I did his request justice. I thank the University of Canberra for hosting the talk and Denis Saunders and Mike Calver for encouraging me to write this article. Importantly, many of my insights into the effects of, and recovery from, wildfire could not be derived without the benefit of long-term ecological monitoring-something that Charles Krebs is passionate about and something that he has maintained diligently in his extraordinary career. I am deeply indebted to a vast number of people with whom I have had the great good fortune to have worked with over the past 37 years; scientists, statisticians, field ecologists (who are also scientists), field volunteers, and many others too numerous to mention (but are not forgotten). My lecture and this associated paper are dedicated to the memory of the late Marjorie Lindenmayer who lived with great dignity and grace and died the same way.