Bushfires in Australia 2019/20

Australia is burning. Anyone with access to media around the world, would no doubt know about the Bushfires in Australia.  The whole country is burning.  When all is done and the fires are all out – which no doubt won’t happen for a while, the statistics will be interesting to see.

Even as the drought continues and the bushfires ravage most states of the country, most Australians are aghast, wondering what the future holds.  If we don’t have rain, we don’t have water – to drink or to nourish the soil and plants. But it is the added drama of the bushfires that I wish to highlight at this time.

Firebreaks were common many years ago.  Most properties had firebreaks on the boundaries of their land – often on the fencelines back and forth.  Then they seemed to lose popularity.  I’ve heard that the “greenies” caused the problem.  Then various regulations that farmers are required to obey.  So now, Australia is burning.

As I’m a city girl, I don’t know what happened, but I have always noticed that the firebreaks we were familiar with, in our youth, are no longer there.

Indigenous Fire Managers

I have been aware for many years that the Indigenous people of Australia were wonderful at managing fire.  They never had fire trucks, hoses, helicopters, or planes flying overhead dropping water and fire retardant.  They had their brains, years of experience and a determination to save their country.  And we ignore their advice – this is why Australia is burning!

Watch the video below – from SBS Insight.

When I was in New Norcia, Western Australia, I read an article there about the local Indigenous peoples and their fire management. I’ve seen it work.  In 2016 when I drove over to Alice Springs from Brisbane, I saw along the Barkley Highway and the Stuart Highway, where areas had been burned, as part of fire management.  (So I was told!)

Indigenous Fire Management Plans

The way it is done preserves the local wildlife and flora and fauna.  The fires that are currently burning are destroying everything.  It will take years to return it to its original status, but it probably won’t as too much is destroyed.  The white man seems to think he knows everything and has disregarded the advice of the Indigenous people, and so our country is forever damaged.  It may never recover.

Photo by Christopher Burns – Unsplash.com

2020 and Beyond

So what does the future hold?  First of all, we have to stop the fires!  There will be so much to do afterwards as fences are gone, stock losses are huge and the number of people who have lost their homes is horrific.  We need to work to try and replace these!  And it will take some years.

Rain – we can only hope that over the next few months that we get huge rains, so that the dams, creeks and rivers are replenished and become healthy again.  We can’t keep selling our water to overseas markets as bottled water.  We need every drop we have.

Rivers – we can no longer harvest the water from our rivers to supply crops that need more water than is naturally flowing onto these properties.  Cubby Station – just stop cropping and taking our water.

We need a whole rethink.  Spend more time exploring the successful Indigenous Fire Management systems.

We also must look at the use of plastics, recyling, using less of everything, and taking more care of our country.

Any ideas?