'Burning Back With the Snow': Traditional Approaches to Grassland Management in Tasmania

High altitude grasslands in northwestern Tasmania respond positively to periodic disturbance through grazing and burning. The major issue in considering the value of these activities as management tools, however, is understanding their dynamics. Too much or too little disturbance may create adverse impacts. Yet, many of the most diverse grasslands have long traditions of active management by Tasmanians for hunting and grazing. Interviews with a number of these graziers and hunters reveal the existence of a coherent system of grassland management which has been applied for generations. These traditional management techniques may well derive from traditional Aboriginal methods and have considerable value for modern grassland management.