Australia is the most fire-prone continent on earth. However, in more recent years there has been a significant increase in the frequency, severity, extent and homogeneity of wildfires in this country. Climate change is a key driver of these changes. But so too is the way forests are managed. In this webinar, David will outline the evidence for changes in fire regimes associated with forest management, including logging, thinning and even (in some cases) past prescribed burning.

He will discuss how altered fire regimes mean that ongoing logging operations in native forests are unsustainable – in terms of wood supplies, threats to the safety of rural communities of people, and losses of biodiversity. He will also highlight how populist narratives about widespread past First Nations burning in tall, wet forests are incorrect and could actually be quite counter-productive. The webinar will conclude with commentary on solutions to the major fire problems that are currently characterizing Australian landscapes.

This event will run off Australian Eastern Standard Time (AEST) and will run for 1 hour. The webinar will be recorded and a link to the webinar will be sent to all registered attendees in the days after the webinar.

David Lindenmayer AO | Fenner School of Environment and Society at The Australian National University

David Lindenmayer is a Distinguished Professor of Ecology and Conservation Biology at the Australian National University's Fenner School of Environment and Society, AO, FAA. His research focuses on the adoption of nature conservation practices in agricultural production areas, developing ways to improve integration of native forest harvesting and biodiversity conservation, new approaches to enhance biodiversity conservation in plantations, and improved fire management practices in Australia.

He has published 925 peer-reviewed scientific papers and 49 books on various topics associated with forestry, woodlands, wildlife and biodiversity conservation, and ecologically sustainable natural resource management. He is among the world’s most highly cited forest ecologists and conservation biologists, listed among the top 2000 highly cited researchers according to Google Scholar Citations public profiles across all disciplines. His current H-index is 146 as of February 2024, placing him among the top 2000 Highly Cited Researchers (h>100) according to Google Scholar Citations public profiles across all disciplines. In 2020 and 2021, The Australian newspaper listed the 30 leading Australian scientists, and Lindenmayer was listed as the leading conservation and biodiversity expert in the nation.

His areas of expertise include environmental management, forestry management and environment, terrestrial ecology, wildlife and habitat management, environmental monitoring, forestry fire management, natural resource management, zoology and forestry sciences, with a particular focus on the critically endangered Leadbeater's possum. His work on wildlife conservation and biodiversity has, for many years, led world research in this area. Lindenmayer's conservation and biodiversity research has been recognised through numerous awards, including the Eureka Science Prize, and the Australian Natural History Medallion by the Field Naturalists Club of Victoria. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia "for distinguished service to conservation and the environment in the field of landscape ecology, to tertiary education, and to professional organisations".

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