The 2019–20 bushfire season was devastating for Australia. Severe prolonged drought, repeated heatwaves and low rainfall contributed to large parts of Australia being ferociously burnt in what is now often referred to as Black Summer. In January 2023 Natural Hazards Research Australia (NHRA) published a report on Understanding the Black Summer bushfires through research: a summary of key findings from the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC. Following the post-fire inquiries and reviews by several states and territories, and the Australian Government Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements, NHRA has continued to support and progress research into the bushfire and natural hazards.
The Black Summer research program drew on the expertise of Australia’s best fire and climate scientists, human geographers, land managers, public health and recovery experts at 28 research institutions, First Nations organisations and fire and land management agencies. The Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC focused on four main themes of research in response to Black Summer:
→ fire predictive services
→ cultural land management
→ community-centred disaster risk reduction
→ bushfire data and reconstruction.
The projects within each theme have delivered crucial research findings and outcomes that enable emergency services and governments to learn lessons from Black Summer to help reduce the devastating impact of bushfires in future fire seasons. This research is guiding how bushfire risk can best be managed through better science, policy and practices. The strength of the science was its multi-disciplinary approach resulting in better bushfire modelling, better warnings, better land management including enabling cultural fire and better recovery after disasters. Based on the lessons learnt from the Black Summer, NHRA will continue to support research that is useful, usable and used to improved future bushfire and nature hazard management.
