Join the Conservation Council of WA for our second Environment Matters event of 2025: Fighting Fire with Fire
Following the longest drought on record in southwest WA, urgent calls are mounting for an Independent Scientific Review of the state’s Prescribed Burning Policy and Practice. There are calls for a moratorium on burning when our forests, woodlands and coastal heaths are so obviously under extreme stress.
Prescribed burns are running hot throughout the year, and there's growing concern about the heavy reliance on large-scale back burning. Despite mounting evidence and public concern, there’s been little sign of change in the deeply entrenched culture of prescribed burning - fueling alarm and frustration.
Join us for an important and honest discussion on the future of fire management, the science behind burning practices, and the urgent need for change in how we protect our forests and communities.
What are the key policies and plans? Who’s offering real solutions? And what can you do to make a difference?
Speakers:
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Mitchella Hutchins – Wardandi Elder and cultural custodian
- Emeritus Professor Don Bradshaw – Internationally recognised ecophysiologist, UWA
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Nathan McQuoid – Landscape ecologist and conservationist
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Uralla Luscombe-Pedro – ANU student of humanities and environmental science, photographer
- Dr Carolyn Orr - Neurologist, medical scientist and public speaker
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Dr Carole Peters – Educator, researcher, writer, and lead organiser of the Fire & Biodiversity Forum (2021) and Fire & Air Forum (2023)
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Adjunct Associate Professor Philip Zylstra – Forest flammability expert, Curtin University & Visiting Fellow, ANU
We’ll be screening the newly released short film Fire and Forest Flammability, created by Dr Philip Zylstra, offering a fresh scientific perspective on how fire behaves in our ecosystems—and what that means for the future of prescribed burning in WA.
This is a timely opportunity to hear from experts and community leaders asking the critical question: Is it time to rethink our approach to fire?