Denmark resident and forest campaigner Jason Fowler gains thousands of signatures on prescribed burn petition

More than 3000 people have signed a petition urging a change to prescribed burn policy in the South West, with the principal petitioner saying the campaign to review best practice has been years in the making. Denmark resident and senior campaigner for the WA Forest Alliance Jason Fowler created the petition on prescribed burning in June this year, after a petition in 2022-23 was ignored. “There has been a push to change WA’s prescribed burning program for many years as nearly all our South West national parks have been severely impacted,” he said. “It’s no surprise that so many South West residents have become very frustrated with the fire management services branch within Department of Biodiversity and Conservation and the minister for not allowing any improvements to the program.” The e-petition, which has 3023 signatures, addresses the legislative council, requesting more resources for rapid bushfire detection and suppression equipment to reduce reliance on prescribed burning and implementation of fire detection cameras in forests. It also asks to remove KPIs for yearly hectares burnt and instead promote a policy that is “strategic, right time, right place, smaller and cooler, and aligns more with cultural burning”. Mr Fowler said this refreshed policy would protect plants and animals that are sensitive to frequent fire, such as Walpole’s famous tingle forests and Peatlands. “DBCA‘s approach to prescribed burning needs serious, independent review,” he said. “It is clear the impacts of reduced rainfall and drought on the risks of fire escape and severe biodiversity damage are not being taken into proper consideration.” A DBCA spokesperson said prescribed burning was undertaken to maintain a range of wildlife habitat types through the “creation of low-fuel areas in a mosaic of burnt and unburnt patches across the landscape”. “Prescribed burning is the State’s principal risk mitigation strategy for protecting the community from the devastating impacts of bushfires,” the spokesperson said. “This position is supported by peer-reviewed research and decades of operational evidence from prescribed burning conducted by the Department of Biodiversity Conservation and Attractions.” The petition closes on December 17.