International Collaboration Teaches the Importance of “Correct” Fire
An article, led by Dr Adam Pellegrini from the University of Cambridge, was recently published in Nature (Ecology and Evolution) that considered global effects of long-term frequent fire on woody communities and traits. The experimental burn plots from Kruger National Park formed part of the sites used in the study.
I started studying fire in Kruger National Park for my PhD work 20 years ago. Although my works focus is more on plant-herbivore interactions these days, I still have a keen interest in fire (the largest “herbivore” of all).
I met Adam Pellegrini (then studying at Stanford University) some years ago when he was doing fieldwork for his PhD in Kruger. We share a common interest in fire’s effects on carbon and nitrogen cycling. Adam created in 2016 the world’s first collaborative network of experimental burning where researchers from 58 sites (myself included) across the world share ideas and data. The work documents significant decreases in the woody cover that results from the too frequent fire with profound consequences for carbon storage. At the same time, it makes the point that fire is important in certain systems and that less frequent fire had limited effects on the woody cover (stem density and basal area) over 50 years in the savanna.
This paper is one product of the collaboration in the network and a great example of how productive relationships can be when in-house SANParks researchers work together with external international researchers.
The infographic below sums up the consequences of frequent fire for savanna.