TY - JOUR
T1 - Aboriginal burning promotes fine-scale pyrodiversity and native predators in Australia's Western Desert
AU - Bliege Bird, Rebecca
AU - Bird, Douglas W.
AU - Fernandez, Luis E.
AU - Taylor, Nyalanka
AU - Taylor, Wakka
AU - Nimmo, Dale
N1 - Includes bibliographical references.
PY - 2018/3
Y1 - 2018/3
N2 - Both invasive mesopredators and altered fire regimes impact populations of vulnerable native species. Understanding how these forces interact is critical for designing better conservation measures for endangered species. This study draws on Indigenous ecological knowledge and practice to explore heterogeneity in faunal responses to Indigenously managed landscapes in the Western Desert of Australia. Using track plot surveys and satellite image analysis of fire histories, we find evidence that pyrodiversity increases activity measures of dingoes and monitor lizards. Dingoes were more active in recently burnt patches, while foxes were more active in slightly older burnt patches. These results add to previous work showing significant effects of pyrodiversity on kangaroo populations in the region. Together, the findings suggest that Aboriginal burning not only creates diverse niches for native animals, it helps to facilitate the ecological role of species that are themselves functionally vital. This work adds to a growing body of research suggesting that the loss of Aboriginal burning can cascade through ecosystems by transforming and simplifying ecological networks, thus contributing to the decline and extinction of vulnerable species.
AB - Both invasive mesopredators and altered fire regimes impact populations of vulnerable native species. Understanding how these forces interact is critical for designing better conservation measures for endangered species. This study draws on Indigenous ecological knowledge and practice to explore heterogeneity in faunal responses to Indigenously managed landscapes in the Western Desert of Australia. Using track plot surveys and satellite image analysis of fire histories, we find evidence that pyrodiversity increases activity measures of dingoes and monitor lizards. Dingoes were more active in recently burnt patches, while foxes were more active in slightly older burnt patches. These results add to previous work showing significant effects of pyrodiversity on kangaroo populations in the region. Together, the findings suggest that Aboriginal burning not only creates diverse niches for native animals, it helps to facilitate the ecological role of species that are themselves functionally vital. This work adds to a growing body of research suggesting that the loss of Aboriginal burning can cascade through ecosystems by transforming and simplifying ecological networks, thus contributing to the decline and extinction of vulnerable species.
KW - Ethnoecological knowledge
KW - Fire ecology
KW - Invasive species
KW - Mesopredator release
KW - Pyrodiversity
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UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85044735509&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.biocon.2018.01.008
DO - 10.1016/j.biocon.2018.01.008
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85044735509
SN - 0006-3207
VL - 219
SP - 110
EP - 118
JO - Biological Conservation
JF - Biological Conservation
ER -