Bushfire Conference 2023
The recordings of NCC’s 13th Biennial Bushfire Conference Managing Fire Together: Applying science, skills, and stories, held on the 24th and 25th of May 2023 are now available to the public. Access to two days of presentations (over 11 hours of content) by leading academics, practitioners, Traditional Owners, agencies and communities to explore how we can improve in managing bush fire together. Through the lens of climate change, resilience and collaborative communities, presentations investigate how collective bushfire strategies can strengthen our communities and environments.
The program examines how changes in climate are impacting the capacity of both natural and human systems to cope with different fire seasons. It explores how to better prepare, respond and recover from bushfires.
Access the Recordings Here
Download Conference Summary Brochure
Download Conference Report
Download the Conference Program Here
(Please note - the recordings do not include the poster session, outlined in the program)
Addresses and keynotes:
- Commissioner Rob Rogers ASFM, NSW Rural Fire Service. Address.
- Atticus Fleming, A/Coordinator General Environment and Heritage Group. "Managing fire and ecological health in NSW national parks."
- Darren Grover, Head, Healthy Land and Seascapes WWF-Australia. "A multi-faceted response to recovery from the Black Summer fire."
- Jacqui Mumford, Chief Executive Officer, Nature Conservation Council of NSW. Address.
- Oliver Costello, Jagun Alliance Aboriginal Corporation. "Connecting to Jagun (Country) for healing and community resilience."
- Dr Sarah Harris, Country Fire Authority. "Climate change and bushfire management."
- Professor David Lindenmayer, The Australian National University. "Forests, forestry and fire"
- Assoc Prof Lauren Bennett, The University of Melbourne. "Fires and forests – can we assume carbon stability and neutrality?"
- Prof Euan Ritchie, Deakin University. "Burning issues: managing fire and interacting threats for effective ecosystem management and biodiversity conservation."
Please see the conference program for a full list of presentations. If you have any further questions please contact the Bushfire Program Team on (02) 9516 0359 or at [email protected].
The Nature Conservation Council of NSW (NCC) hosted our 13th Biennial Bushfire Conference - 'Managing Bushfire Together: applying science, skills and stories' on Wednesday 24th and Thursday 25th May 2023, with an additional Ku-ring-gai Field Day taking place on Friday 26th May 2023. The event was held both live and online (hybrid) in Sydney at the Teachers Federation Conference Centre in Surry Hills, Sydney. A conference dinner, poster session, and field day all took place in addition to core conference proceedings.
Images (top to bottom): audience applause after RFS Commissioner Rob Rogers' opening address on 24th May; delegates interact with sponsor representatives in the heritage room.
Theme: Managing Bushfire Together: Applying science, skills and stories
Sub-Themes:
1) Heat: Climate Change and Changing Systems
2) Oxygen: Recovery, Resilience and Innovation
3) Fuel: Collaborative Communities
Field Day - Friday 26th May:
Following the Nature Conservation Council of NSW (NCC) Bushfire Conference 2023, many delegates joined us for a day in the field to learn about managing fire together at the Ku-ring-gai Wildflower Garden in St Ives, Sydney, on Friday 26th May 2023. Delegates heard from representatives from Ku-ring-gai Council (Mark Schuster, Dr Jennifer Scott, James Chan), Ku-ring-gai Rural Fire Service Brigade (Sam Tucker), The University of Melbourne (Prof Alan York), Western Sydney University and the NCC Bush Fire Advisory Committee (Dr Grahame Douglas), RMIT University (PhD Student Zoe D’Arcy), NCC, and more.
Delegates had the opportunity to delve into the Climate Wise Communities program and engage in a Simtable demonstration to learn how they could create fire adapted communities and foster community resilience. Delegates also got to explore how adaptive fire management can be used for the protection of community, ecological and heritage values during a bushwalk through beautiful Blue Gum High Forest, fire-adapted Mallee, Upland Swamp and more. The walk took delegates through Red-crowned Toadlet and Eastern Pygmy Possum habitat with time to ask questions to local experts and land managers, share their experiences, and stimulate ideas for their own practices and projects.
The Nature Conservation Council of NSW would like to acknowledge the generous support of our conference sponsors: Platinum - NSW Rural Fire Service; NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service; WWF - Australia || Gold - Toolijooa Environmental Restoration || Silver - Humane Society International; Local Land Services || Bronze - Western Sydney University; Eco Logical Australia; Saving our Species Program, NSW Government; Science, Economics and Insights Division, Department of Planning and Environment
For any enquiries, please email us at:
The Nature Conservation Council of NSW acknowledges the Traditional Owners of the lands and waters of Australia. We pay our respects to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Elders past and present. We aspire to learn from their traditional knowledge to help nature thrive.