Abstract: |
Bushfire Management Committees, with DEWNR support, aim to conduct a detailed assessment of the risk to environmental assets in their bushfire management areas, across South Australia, which may be negatively impacted by bushfire. The outputs of the risk assessment will be included into regional Bushfire Management Area Plans and allow for priority to be assigned to the identified risks. Treatment options for highest priority assets will be identified and prioritised to reduce risk. Effective risk treatments can eliminate or minimise the negative impacts of bushfire, in order to prevent the degradation or loss of environmental assets. METHODOLOGY: The process to identify environmental assets at risk from bushfire involves: 1. Community identification and nomination of environmental assets. During an eight-week period, commencing on 15 January to 16 March 2018, community members, community groups and Local Government are encouraged to nominate environmental assets to be assessed for risks from bushfire. Community can volunteer environmental assets through an Atlas of Living Australia, `Environmental assets at risk of bushfire', online survey project. DEWNR Fire management in conjunction with regions are validating nominated records. A spatial layer will be generated with the information received, once the survey is completed. Though DEWNR collects flora and fauna records, most of these are recorded on public land. Community-nominated environmental assets will help bridge the gaps in DEWNR's ecological knowledge on private managed lands. Community-nominated information will be retained to help inform bushfire response and recovery programs. Along with assisting with the assessment of potential environmental impacts of risk treatments identified for life and property assets, in particular overlay of Asset Protection and Bushfire Moderation Zones. 2. DEWNR Fire Management produce first draft risk assessment. The first draft will include a record of likelihood, consequence and overall risk rating for each asset assessed. |