Fire in the Australian Landscape (FRST20015)

Australia is the most fire-prone continent on Earth. This subject explores the important role of fire in Australian landscapes. Students will learn how fire has shaped the diversity of life in Australia over millions of years, how people have been using fire to modify Australian landscapes for millennia, and how contemporary fire patterns influence human society and ecosystems. Topics include combustion and fire behaviour, prediction of fire patterns, fire ecology of plants and animals, Indigenous burning, climate change and future fire, and approaches for using fire, managing fire and sustaining biodiversity.