Bunya Project

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Bunya Project

The Supporting Indigenous Fire Management project (often referred to as the Bunya project) is a collaborative socio-ecological partnership designed to support First Nations land and fire management. By combining traditional knowledge with ecological research, the project aims to demonstrate the benefits of cultural burning for biodiversity and ecosystem health in southern Queensland.

About this project

This project supports Indigenous land and fire management groups in understanding the ecological and evolutionary benefits of cultural burning within the forests and grasslands of southern Queensland, including Bonye Biar (the Bunya Mountains). It addresses the threat of inappropriate fire regimes, which can restrict plant regeneration and reduce genetic diversity, by investigating how cultural burning, practiced by First Nations people for tens of thousands of years, ensures long-term ecosystem health.

Our approach

The research is conducted in close collaboration with the Bunya Peoples Aboriginal Corporation (BPAC), who perform cultural burning in the “grassy bald” mountain grasslands. The team tracks how these practices maintain biodiversity and ecosystem function while facilitating cultural and spiritual connections to Country. This information is used to develop specialised monitoring techniques and analytical tools that provide a robust evidence base for promoting cultural burning as a vital land management tool.

Goals/key achievements

Goals / Key Achievements

  • Strategy Identification: Pinpointing social enabling conditions and strategies to better support cultural fire management.
  • Ecological Mapping: Understanding the specific evolutionary outcomes of burning to inform future plans across different land tenures.
  • Barrier Removal: Developing practical solutions to overcome institutional barriers that prevent widespread cultural burning.
  • Partnership Building: Identifying ways to enhance and strengthen collaborative partnerships between BPAC and other agencies.

Status

Ongoing.
This project is currently ongoing under the NESP Resilient Landscapes Hub. The research team, led by Professor Jennifer Firn, Dr Angela Dean, and Dr Annabel Smith, continues to gather data to support the expansion of cultural burning practices across Australian landscapes.

Project Partners

Understanding People and Nature

Research That Makes a Difference

We explore how people connect with the environment from urban green spaces to ocean reefs, and develop strategies to promote conservation stewardship and meaningful engagement with the natural world. Through citizen science, community partnerships, and innovative communication strategies, we’re working to strengthen the connections between people and nature for lasting conservation impact.