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🇦🇺 Australia /Environment & Climate

What does 'good conservation' look like? This landowner is finding out

From ABC Australia · () English

Summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

In-depth Named sources Context piece
  • A landowner in Tasmania is employing Indigenous fire practices to manage his property, known as Fairyland.
  • The practice aims to minimize wildfire risk while promoting biodiversity and conserving native species.
  • The property is a designated priority area for conservation under the federal government's Threatened Species Action Plan.

On Tasmania's Bruny Island, landowner Paul Davis is pioneering a unique approach to conservation at his property, Fairyland, by integrating Indigenous cultural burning practices. Guided by Palawa man and cultural fire practitioner Jason Smith, Davis uses controlled burns to manage the landscape, recognizing that native vegetation signals its need for fire as it begins to brown.

As soon as those natives start to brown off, they're actually telling us they need fire.

— Jason SmithCultural fire practitioner explaining the natural indicators for controlled burns.

Davis purchased the 134-hectare property in 2002, drawn by its remarkable natural beauty. He has since dedicated himself to conserving and restoring its ecological values, collaborating with experts in ecology, nature finance, cultural burning, and pyrogeography, alongside numerous volunteers. This collaborative effort underscores a key finding: effective land management, deeply informed by Indigenous fire practices, is entirely compatible with minimizing wildfire risks.

The place demands looking after and demands good conservation.

— Paul DavisLandowner Paul Davis describing his motivation for conserving his property, Fairyland.

Fairyland, situated on an isthmus connecting the north and south of Bruny Island, is a biodiversity hotspot described by ecologist Matt Taylor as an "island ark." The property boasts wetlands, bushland, and rookeries for shearwaters and little penguins. Taylor has worked alongside Davis for a decade, tackling issues from feral cat management to revegetation and potential carbon plantings, all part of a vision to share and protect the unique environment.

It's now really clear to us that the good conservation land management, strongly informed by Indigenous fire practices, is completely compatible with minimising the risk of wildfires.

— Paul DavisPaul Davis on the synergy between Indigenous knowledge and modern conservation efforts.

The property is recognized for its importance, being one of the federal government's 20 priority places for protection under its Threatened Species Action Plan. Endangered species such as the swift parrot, forty-spotted pardalote, and eastern quoll inhabit Fairyland. To restore crucial bird habitats historically cleared for sheep farming, Davis and Taylor have planted blue gum and white gum trees, with the help of volunteers.

One of the visions that Paul's had for this property is to share it, and so we've been lucky enough to work here with lots of different collaborators tackling things from feral cat management through to revegetation through to potential carbon plantings.

— Matt TaylorEcologist Matt Taylor discussing the collaborative conservation efforts at Fairyland.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by ABC Australia. Summarized and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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