Friends of the Fitzgerald River National Park call for independent review after devastating January bushfire

Calls for more scrutiny of fire management in Fitzgerald River National Park are growing, with a local conservation group pushing for an independent review of January’s bushfire. The Friends of the Fitzgerald River National Park acknowledged the efforts of firefighters who worked to contain the blaze but said the frequency and scale of fires in the park are placing ecosystems under increasing pressure. FFRNP president Gillian Craig said the increasing number of fires was becoming overwhelming. “There have been more than 200 fires in the park over the last 35 years; this fire cycle is putting the park’s unique ecosystem under threat,” she said. The group is asking for the review to assess the impacts of the fires, the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions’ fire management practices and operations, and to include an audit of what mitigation measures did or did not work. Dr Craig said some areas of the national park have now burned two or three times in the past 36 years. The last major fire event occurred in December 1989, when around 140,000ha were burnt following lightning strikes. Dr Craig said when vegetation burns at intervals of less than 15 to 20 years, the risk of localised extinction increases for some plant species, with flow-on effects for wildlife. “Many of the flowering plants on which nectar-feeding animals depend, such as the honey possum and honeyeater birds, do not flower until they are at least 10 years old,” she said. “We are particularly worried about the impact on iconic species such as the Royal Hakea or Tjaalyongit (Hakea victoria).” Despite their concerns, the group praised firefighters’ efforts in making sure measures taken to prevent the spread of Phytophthora dieback by ensuring equipment was cleaned before entering the park. Dr Craig thanked fire crews for protecting the Twertup Field Studies Centre, which was destroyed in a previous fire in 2008. The FFRNP will hold their annual general meeting on Saturday, March 14 at the Quaalup Homestead with all members of the public welcome.