Researchers needed for three new projects into fire and land management

Expressions of interest are now open for three new Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC projects for the Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning Victoria (DELWP).

Bushfire MER 5-year evaluation and framework review

This project aims to evaluate the Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting Framework for Bushfire Management on Public Land (BMERF).

The BMERF guides DELWP and partner agencies to monitor, evaluate and report on the effectiveness of bushfire management on public land against the primary objectives for bushfire management outlined in the Code of Practice for Bushfire Management on Public Land 2012. The Framework enables a greater understanding of the effects of bushfires and the effectiveness of bushfire management strategies for achieving bushfire management objectives, helping DELWP to improve bushfire management strategies and actions.

The evaluation of the BMERF will support DELWP to meet its commitment to the continuous improvement of approaches to bushfire monitoring, evaluation, reporting and management. The key evaluation questions outlined in the BMERF will drive the evaluation and aim to identify new knowledge and quantify knowledge gaps, with the main focus being outcomes evaluation. This includes identifying emerging needs, gaps and priorities, and recommending alternative strategies as part of an adaptive management cycle to improve future performance.

EOI proposals for the project, Bushfire MER 5-year evaluation and framework review, are due by 17 March 2021.

Phoenix RapidFire evaluation

The project aims to develop a method and tool/s for the ongoing evaluation of fire simulators in Victoria. While this project will focus on Phoenix RapidFire, the approach should be flexible enough to support evaluation of other fire simulators, including Spark, in the future.

Victoria uses Phoenix RapidFire to simulate bushfires to aid long and short-term planning processes, and to evaluate the risk during bushfire response activities. There is a need to evaluate Phoenix RapidFire simulator to inform its future development, improvement, and ultimately, the way it is applied in residual risk modelling and operational fire behaviour predictions.

The method identified in the research will be used to evaluate the performance of and limitations (hourly spread, intensity, and spotting characteristics) of the Phoenix RapidFire simulator during the 2019/20 fire season in Victoria, to inform its applications in strategic risk modelling and operational use.

EOI proposals for the project, Phoenix RapidFire evaluation, are due by 11 March 2021.

Review of fuel hazard monitoring

This project seeks to review DELWP's approach to assessing the effectiveness of fuel management and make recommendations to ensure it is an effective and statewide comparable method of assessing fuel hazards and consequently evaluation of fuel treatment objectives.

The research will recommend options for improvement or change to the current Overall Fuel Hazard approach and make recommendations for the establishment of a 'regional performance measure' of fuel management outcomes. The research will also recommend methods to be used for monitoring fuel management that are appropriate now and in the long-term, including any suggestions for how to phase from the current approach (if required).

EOI proposals for the project, Review of fuel hazard monitoring, are due by 17 March 2021.

Submitting a proposal

Download the full Expressions of Interest and other supporting documents here for further details on each of the projects. EOI proposals should be sent to office@bnhcrc.com.au.