Fires; Vegetation; Grazing; Cattle; Land (Grass and Pasture); Seasons; Tropical Regions; Monsoons; Research; Monitoring; Management; Satellite Imagery; Time Dependent; Rangelands; Biological Diversity; Aboriginal
Little fire related research has been conducted in the high rainfall Kimberley WA rangelands, but some extrapolation from studies elsewhere in tropical northern Australia can be justified. An increase in broadscale early dry season burning is likely to reduce the extent of later more destructive fires while providing other benefits for cattle enterprises. Improved animal performance and contributions, to the maintenance of rangeland condition and biological diversity would be expected. There are considerable difficulties in implementation and evaluation of imposed fire regimes, especially outside fenced areas. Problems include the logistics of burning large areas within a restricted time, integration with mustering operations and control of post fire grazing pressure. Collection and application of fire history from satellite data is of crucial importance for research, monitoring and management. Urgent efforts are required to document the traditional knowledge of local Aboriginal people in relation to landscape fire (A).