It's a delicate subject in a fire prone country in the context of global warming but the nub of the issue is that prescribed burns carried out by the Dept. of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions (they change their name every couple of years and this one is a real joke) are 'hot', ill-timed, frequent and uninformed. They destroy habitat and fauna which aren't recovering. The group - which I will write about more later - isn't against 'cool' burns as long as they are informed, guided and carried out according to traditional Aboriginal land management practices that have been developed over millennia. We think the government have no bloody idea and are basically wrecking the joint to cover their own arses. Dropping incendiary fire bombs into heritage wilderness is insane. They understand nothing of the complex relationships between bioturbators (e.g. bandicoots, mardos and numbats) and ecological systems that depend on each other and, if managed correctly, obviate the 'need' to burn the crap out of the bush.
As a result of this involvement I decided to resurrect Munted Bear for a good cause. As you can see, he's started his own group.
This is my new logo. People who know me think it is very appropriate. I chose the name because it matches my eccentric madness, but also because we have been swimming in the pristine turquoise waters of Madfish Bay a lot lately. The surf everywhere has been rubbish and overrun by tourists. I'll blog about Madfish Bay another time.
I love that you are doing art for the group against the thoughtless ill-considered prescribed burns. There has been talk here in California of doing prescribed burns as well. We lost 4 million acres this past summer, one tenth of all forest land here. The native populations know how this should be done, but will our Department of Forestry listen and learn? I hope your prescribed burns and ours are as thoughtful and considerate of all life forms as possible. I love your art!
ReplyDeleteThanks Robin. I still think of my work as an 'acquired taste'. Some think it's juvenile or too 'cartoony' but I am able to do more serious representational work as well. In fact that's where my training was. But these days I like to have fun and think the style I use makes for quick, effective and hopefully amusing communication.
DeleteThe anti-prescribed burn movement here is gathering numbers and momentum, with some surprising allies. Apparently our local council CEO is an environmentalist and has turned up at a couple of FABWA meetings already. The town I live in is traditionally VERY 'green'. The demographic has changed with retirees and aspirational economic middle class moving in but there are still a lot of the old 'hippy' greenies left, and lots of their kids who have grown up in this small community. So it's looking hopeful. The group offered to pay me for my work and I could sue the money because I am not being paid over the 6 week summer break, but other people are volunteering their time and effort so it didn't seem right to charge them.
I'll send you an invitation to the group. I am pretty sure it would be OK - it's a group brought together by an ideology rather than a physical location. We have members spread over WA. You can decline if you want to.
What does FABWA stand for? I'm not on FB so I don't know. Are there any fire ecologists and scientists involved?
ReplyDeleteSorry Sarah. I thought I had explained that in the post. Fire & Biodiversity WA. And yes, absolutely. There are some heavy hitters supporting the group which now numbers 400 and growing. I'll blog about the group soon and include the posters I did for the market stall, which are is today.
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