Key Takeaway
Researchers found the shift from open woodland to dense forest after 1788 led to more intense fires, consistent with loss of cultural burning practicesSign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s free Clear Air newsletter hereThe drastic land use changes wreaked by colonisation created a “catastrophic wildfire loop” that rendered south-east Australia more susceptible to climate-fuelled bushfires, experts say.…
Published October 7, 2026 · Category: News
Overview
Researchers found the shift from open woodland to dense forest after 1788 led to more intense fires, consistent with loss of cultural burning practices
The drastic land use changes wreaked by colonisation created a “catastrophic wildfire loop” that rendered south-east Australia more susceptible to climate-fuelled bushfires, experts say.
Details
A team of researchers, working with the Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aboriginal Corporation, an organisation that represents traditional owners, reconstructed 1,000 years of vegetation and fire history at Purghagoolah, a lake surrounded by forest in Croajingolong national park in Gippsland, Victoria.
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Source
Originally published at www.theguardian.com.
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What is "‘Catastrophic wildfire loop’ created after colonisation left parts of Australia more at risk from bushfires, study finds" about?+
Researchers found the shift from open woodland to dense forest after 1788 led to more intense fires, consistent with loss of cultural burning practicesSign up for climate and environment editor Adam Morton’s free Clear Air newsletter hereThe drastic land use changes wreaked by colonisation created a “catastrophic wildfire loop” that rendered south-east Australia more susceptible to climate-fuelled bushfires, experts say.A team of researchers, working with the Gunaikurnai Land and Waters Aborigin
Who reported this story?+
This story was reported by The Guardian World.