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January 30, 2008
Impact of the December 2007 Fires
Background
In the afternoon of 06 December 2007 an intense storm passed over Kangaroo Island and the associated lightning strikes started 12 fires across the Island. Some of these were quickly contained or extinguished however 4 fires continued to burn, the largest of which was not contained until 15 December. The level of resources brought to the Island to fight these fires is unprecedented—12 aircraft for both fire bombing and observation, and over 700 mainland and interstate incident management and fire ground crew.
Impact
The community impact of such an incident is significant - given there are less than 4,500 residents. Tragically the life of one young man was lost during the fire which is keenly felt in a small community. In terms of scale, a total of 89,956 hectares (222,286 acres) burned, representing 20% of the Island. What remains unaffected is 349,851 hectares (864,131 acres) in area. Much of the area burned lies within Flinders Chase National Park which has a long, complex fire history. Much of the vegetation contained within the park is fire adapted or in some cases fire dependent in terms flowering or releasing seed.
From a wildlife perspective there were no doubt significant losses however the Australian fauna has adapted to fire. Most animals are resilient in escaping fire to adjacent refuges, or responding quickly breeding post-fire, feeding on the rapid growth which follows the fire. Images below show the typical response of Australian flora starting within 2 weeks of a fire. Observations post-fire show increased wildlife density in refuge areas - especially mobile species like kangaroos and wallabies. Also obvious are the echidnas really working over the unburned ground.
Visitor experience
Based on almost 20 years observations, visitors coming to Kangaroo Island post-fire are not impacted by the incident once any facilities affected by the fires are opened again. The regrowth of vegetation has been quite vigorous aided by the fact that some areas of Kangaroo Island which burned receive over 1000 mm average annual rainfall.
The recovery of plant and animal populations following the fires are rich interpretive themes which we are drawing upon to enhance the quality of our visitor experience through awareness to understanding.