Ancient mud reveals Australia’s burning history over the past 130,000 years – and shows a way through our fiery future

By Michela Mariani, Associate Professor in Physical Geography, University of Nottingham
Anna Florin, Lecturer in Archaeological Science, Australian National University
Haidee Cadd, Research associate, University of Wollongong
Matthew Adeleye, Assistant Professor of Physical Geography, University of Cambridge
Simon Connor, Fellow in Natural History, Australian National University

Increased land management by Aboriginal people in southeastern Australia around 6,000 years ago cut forest shrub cover in half, according to our new study of fossil pollen trapped in ancient mud.

Shrubs connect fires from ground cover to the forest canopy, allowing fires to spread and intensify quickly. The reduction in shrub cover, linked to evidence for increasing population size and more widespread landscape use by Aboriginal people, would have dramatically decreased the potential for high-intensity…

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