Mark Graham of Nature Conservation Council NSW discusses the growing interest in integrating fire and weed management strategies for better restoration outcomes. In collaboration with many partners the Nature Conservation Council’s ‘Healthy Ecosystems Program’ is trialling new strategies for fire and weed management across NSW. The Hotspots Fire Project team seeks any practical experiences of integrated fire and weed management.

1. Acknowledge and
pay respects to
Elders past, present
and future
Fire, Weeds and Healthy Ecosystems

2. “Reconnecting Gondwana Project”
(Western Dorrigo Plateau)

3. Bushfire Program
Firesticks
Hotspots Fire Project
Upper Coldstream Project

7. Four year project – greatest diversity
of threatened species in NSW (>110
spp.) and amongst the most diverse
eucalypt forests globally
Over 40 landholders involved
4,000 hectare project area
25,000ha connected landscape
UPPER
COLDSTREAM
BIODIVERSITY.PROJECT
Upper Coldstream Biodiversity Project

8. UPPER
COLDSTREAM
BIODIVERSITY.PROJECT
Landscape-scale conservation
activities and fire
• Interactions of fire and weeds
• The role of fire in removing
weeds and promoting
regeneration of native species?
• Protecting some of the only
known populations in NSW of
key threatened species
• Pest animal and predator
interactions with fire?

9. UPPER
COLDSTREAM
BIODIVERSITY.PROJECT
Coastal emu
conservation program
• A small population - declined steeply in
recent decades
• Impacts of dense lantana on emu
movement?
• Will fire promote food resources?
• Regeneration of emu feed species in
degraded areas through targeted use of
fire?
• Management of nest sites: Location?
Protection from fire and predators?

10. “Reconnecting Gondwana Project”
(Western Dorrigo Plateau)

11. Reconnecting Gondwana Project

15. Willows & Boorabee IPA
Wattleridge IPA
Casino Boolangle LALC
Minyumai IPA
Jali IPA
Ngulingah LALC
Gugin Gudduba LALC

16. • The Firesticks project is creating relevant legislative pathways for Aboriginal communities
to undertake fire management for the protection of cultural and ecological values.
• Building recognition of Aboriginal conservation areas such as IPA’s and their importance as
part of the National Reserve System
• Creating opportunities for communities to build confidence in using fire as a management
tool through training and on-ground implementation
• The establishment of long-term monitoring plots on IPAs to assess response of fauna
groups pre and post fire
• Building partnerships between agencies and landholders to achieve landscape-scale
conservation outcomes
• Trialling innovative techniques in managing invasive weeds
• Development of integrated property management plans to communicate and work towards
community aspirations

23. Co-delivered by the NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) and the Nature Conservation Council
of NSW (NCC), under a 9 partnered Advisory Committee
Hotspots provides landholders and land managers with the skills and knowledge they
need to participate in fire management planning.
This award winning program operates on a core belief that well-informed and well-
prepared communities complement the roles of land managers and fire agencies and
that a shared approach to fire management is critical to any form of planning.

25. .
Delivery since inception in 2005:
146 workshops
1888 landholders
888 fire management plans
Covering 201,203 hectares
VERY FEW PROPERTIES LACK WEEDS

26. Bowen Mountain Workshop Series

29. Community monitoring
Landholder materials for ecological monitoring
e.g. Factsheet/how to guide how to effectively use photo points and camera traps for
monitoring change

30. Online fire management planning tool
Roll-out delivery strategy with partners and pilot with landholder groups
http://hotspotsfireproject.org.au/fire-management-plan

31. Fire and Weeds Review