Conservation groups are demanding the federal environment minister step in to stop WA's department of biodiversity and conservation burning peat swamps in the south west. The call comes after parks and wildlife burnt swamps less than two months after they were listed as endangered.
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00:00 It almost looks like a tornado has gone through here.
00:04 Conservationist Catherine Spajari stands in the ashes of a smouldering peat swamp.
00:10 The Styx block, 15km northwest of Denmark, was burned in early November by parks and
00:17 wildlife using aircraft to drop firebombs.
00:20 90% of the almost 3,500 hectare bush reserve was burned.
00:26 Some peat areas can burn for up to 7 months.
00:29 They are impossible, virtually impossible to put out.
00:34 The planned burn was ignited less than two months after a National Threatened Species
00:39 Scientific Committee assessed the peatlands of south-western Australia as endangered.
00:45 What we've seen since the listing is that the department have continued on with these
00:50 practices of prescribed burning these peatlands which are the very reason why they've been
00:55 listed for protection.
00:57 The federal department responsible for the environment has told the ABC it will ensure
01:01 its counterparts in WA are aware of their obligations under law.
01:07 What that should do, that formal recognition by government should immediately trigger a
01:12 set of much more cautious activities by all of the agencies responsible for managing that.
01:19 While WA's Department of Biodiversity and Conservation says prescribed burns only need
01:24 Commonwealth environmental approval if they're likely to have a significant impact on protected
01:31 ecosystems.
01:32 There are also exemptions if those areas or similar have been burnt before.
01:37 According to the Department of Biodiversity, in the past 10 years, 22 peat areas have been
01:43 ignited or affected by prescribed burns and another eight burnt in wildfires, some of
01:51 which were escaped prescribed burns.
01:54 The department is still finalising its guidelines around the fire management of peatland.
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