Fire

With vast areas of forests and grasslands, south-eastern Australia is one of the world's most bushfire-prone areas. Australian plant and animal species evolved to survive in their fire prone environment and many species even rely on fire for their ongoing survival.
 
The rapid increase in the population of NSW over the last two centuries has changed the landscape of fire. Deliberately or accidentally, people start many more fires than would occur in a natural environment.

DECC manages more than six million hectares of parks and reserves across NSW. Much of this land is rugged, remote and wildfire-prone. Understanding the ecological effects of fire is a major priority for DECC—as part of its charter DECC is responsible for managing fire on all lands it controls.

With an increasing number of families, farms, homes and communities surrounded by fire-prone bush, we need to ensure that protecting life and property is our absolute priority.

Find out more about the following fire topics:

• Learn about the complex relationship between fire and the NSW bush.
• How DECC manages fire in NSW national parks to protect life and property and to conserve biodiversity.
• How to safely live with fire.