Decoding the Hazardscape: National Science Week 2025
- psen66
- Sep 1
- 2 min read
Updated: 3 days ago
From cultural burning to cutting-edge computer modelling, BNHRC experts are combining traditional wisdom and scientific innovation to protect lives, landscapes, and communities in a rapidly changing climate.
Australia’s changing climate is creating ever more complex and destructive natural hazards. During National Science Week (9-17 August), a panel of BNHRC researchers came together to share how their work is helping us better understand and prepare for future fire seasons.
The discussion explored the many ways we can “decode the hazardscape”: from studying the impacts of smoke, to applying cultural burning practices, to modelling how ecosystems will change in a warming climate, to analysing unusual bushfire behaviours in mountainous terrain.
While the science spans multiple disciplines, the shared motivation was clear: protecting lives, livelihoods, and landscapes.
One key focus was the value of combining traditional knowledge with modern science. Vanessa Cavanagh highlighted cultural burning not only for its role in reducing fuel loads but also for its deeper social and ecological benefits. She explained how low-intensity burns, carefully timed and managed, can protect biodiversity, regenerate native plants, and reconnect communities with Country.
Meanwhile, advanced tools such as ecosystem models and mathematical simulations are allowing researchers to predict how fire will behave in future conditions. These models factor in temperature, rainfall, vegetation types, and fire frequency to help land managers make informed decisions.
For example, field-based research such as measuring emissions from different types of burns, explained Dr Max Desservettaz from the University of Wollongong, provides vital data on air quality impacts and helps develop guidelines for firefighter safety and public health.
A recurring message was that science cannot operate in isolation. It must be communicated in ways that communities, emergency services, and policymakers can act on. Risk assessments, public education, and collaboration with local stakeholders were all identified as essential steps to turning research into real-world impact.
Speakers also acknowledged that extreme events like the 2019–20 Black Summer are no longer rare anomalies: they are signs of a shifting baseline. Preparing for this reality means working across cultural, scientific, and political boundaries to share knowledge, respect different perspectives, and take proactive action.
The takeaway was clear: to face an era of more frequent and intense hazards, Australia needs a united approach that draws on both the oldest living knowledge systems and the newest scientific innovations. By listening to Country, applying cutting-edge research, and working together, we can build a safer, more resilient future.
You can view the panel discussion below, and click the links to see each presentataion.
Other videos from National Science Week (in order of presentation):