Bushfire and Climate Change Research Project

Over the summer of 2018-19, lightning strikes ignited dozens of bushfires, affecting over 200,000 hectares (3 per cent of the state), including thousands of hectares of wilderness.

On 31 January 2019, the Tasmanian Government established a Bushfire Recovery Taskforce to monitor the impacts and coordinate state government recovery activity within affected communities.

From January to March 2016, bushfires affected approximately 126,800 hectares across Tasmania. This included an estimated 1.3 per cent of the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area (TWWHA). The 2016 firefighting effort was unprecedented and highlighted the need to consider the impact of climate change on future bushfire risk in the TWWHA.

Research project

In response to the 2016 bushfires, the Tasmanian Government committed $250,000 for the TWWHA Bushfire and Climate Change Research Project (the Research Project), to investigate the impact of climate change on the TWWHA, and to identify ways to improve how Tasmania prepares for and responds to bushfires in the TWWHA.

The Research Project confirmed that Tasmania is likely to experience increasing bushfire risk in the future as a result of a changing climate, and that the conditions that led to the 2016 bushfires are expected to become more frequent as the century progresses.

The Research Project utilised leading edge research from the Australian science community led by eminent researcher Dr Tony Press, Adjunct Professor with the Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies (IMAS).

• Download the Terms of Reference (PDF) for the project.
• Read the Terms of Reference (webpage) for the project.

Dr Press provided a final report, including recommendations, to the Tasmanian Government in December 2016. Download a copy of the Final Report:

• Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area Bushfire and Climate Change Research Project Executive Summary (PDF, 1MB)
• Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area Bushfire and Climate Change Research Project Final Report (PDF, 7MB) (full report, 156 pages).

Tasmanian Government Response

The Tasmanian Government Response to the Final Report supports 13 of the recommendations, and supports in part the remaining five recommendations.

• Download the TWWHA Bushfire and Climate Change Research Project - Tasmanian Government's response (PDF, 1MB).

Fire Management Plan for the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area

The Parks and Wildlife Service has finalised a fire management plan for the TWWHA. ​​The development of a fire management plan for the TWWHA is recommendation one from the Final Report of the Research Project.

The TWWHA Fire Management Plan provides a strategic and comprehensive management framework to guide fire management and mitigate bushfire risk into the future.

View the TWWHA Fire Management Plan (PDF 17MB).

New research

The Research Project identified high-priority research needs and commissioned new research examining:

• the history of lightning fires in the TWWHA and adjacent areas
• the impact of climate change on weather-related fire factors in the TWWHA
• the impact and effectiveness of fire suppression chemicals in the TWWHA.

View the reports:

• Impact of climate change on weather-related fire risk factors in the TWWHA – Interim Report (2016) (PDF)
• Impact of climate change on weather-related fire risk factors in the TWWHA – Part II Report 2016 (PDF, 11MB)
• Impact of Climate Change on Weather-related Fire Risk in the Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area 2017 (Climate Futures website)
• Tasmanian Wilderness World Heritage Area Climate Change and Bushfire Research Initiative 2019 (Climate Futures website)

These reports have been prepared by independent organisations. They may not meet the accessibility standards followed by the Department of State Growth. If you are unable to access these resources, please email climatechange@recfit.tas.gov.au. We will do our best to provide an alternative version.