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The human dimension of fire regimes on Earth
Citation
Bowman, DMJS and Balch, J and Artaxo, P and Bond, WJ and Cochrane, MA and D'Antonio, CM and DeFries, R and Johnston, FH and Keeley, JE and Krawchuk, MA and Kull, CA and Mack, M and Moritz, MA and Pyne, S and Roos, CI and Scott, AC and Sodhi, NS and Swetnam, TW, The human dimension of fire regimes on Earth, Journal of Biogeography, 38, (12) pp. 2223-2236. ISSN 0305-0270 (2011) [Refereed Article]
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Copyright Statement
Copyright 2011 Blackwell Publishing Ltd
DOI: doi:10.1111/j.1365-2699.2011.02595.x
Abstract
Humans and their ancestors are unique in being the only fire-making species, yet
‘natural’ (i.e. independent of humans) fires have a much more ancient, geological history
on Earth. Natural fires have influenced biological evolution and global biogeochemical
cycles, making fire integral to the functioning of some biomes. Globally, debate rages
about the impact on ecosystems of prehistoric human-set fires, with views ranging from
catastrophic to negligible. Understanding of the diversity of human fire regimes on
Earth in the past, present and future remains rudimentary. It remains uncertain how
humans have caused a departure from ‘natural’ background levels that vary with
climate change. Available evidence shows that modern humans can increase or
decrease background levels of natural fire activity by clearing forests, promoting
grazing, dispersing plants, altering ignition patterns and actively suppressing fires,
thereby causing substantial ecosystem changes and loss of biodiversity. Some of these
contemporary fire regimes cause substantial economic disruptions due to destruction of
infrastructure, degradation of ecosystem services, loss of life, and smoke-related health
effects. These episodic disasters help frame negative public attitudes towards
landscape fires, despite the need for burning to sustain some ecosystems. Greenhouse
gas-induced warming and changes in the hydrological cycle may increase the
occurrence of large, severe fires with potentially significant feedbacks to the Earth
system. Improved understanding of human fire regimes demands: (1) better data on
past and current human influences on fire regimes to enable global comparative
analyses, (2) greater understanding of different cultural traditions of landscape burning
and their positive and negative social, economic and ecological effects, and (3) more
realistic representations of anthropogenic fire in global vegetation and climate change
models. We provide an historical framework to promote understanding of the
development and diversification of fire regimes from the pre-human period, human
domestication of fire, and subsequent transition from subsistence agricultural to
industrial economies. All of these phases still occur on Earth, providing opportunities
for comparative research.
Item Details
Item Type: | Refereed Article |
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Keywords: | Fire and culture, fire management, fire regime, global environmental change, landscape fire, palaeoecology, prehistoric human impacts, pyrogeography |
Research Division: | Environmental Sciences |
Research Group: | Ecological applications |
Research Field: | Landscape ecology |
Objective Division: | Environmental Management |
Objective Group: | Terrestrial systems and management |
Objective Field: | Evaluation, allocation, and impacts of land use |
UTAS Author: | Bowman, DMJS (Professor David Bowman) |
UTAS Author: | Johnston, FH (Professor Fay Johnston) |
ID Code: | 72257 |
Year Published: | 2011 |
Web of Science® Times Cited: | 651 |
Deposited By: | Menzies Institute for Medical Research |
Deposited On: | 2011-08-24 |
Last Modified: | 2017-11-01 |
Downloads: | 18 View Download Statistics |
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