Assessing the Post-Fire Recovery of Mined-Under Temperate Highland Peat Swamps on Sandstone

Monia Anzooman (), Phill B. McKenna, Natasha Ufer, Thomas Baumgartl, Neil McIntyre and Mandana Shaygan
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Monia Anzooman: Centre for Water in the Minerals Industry, Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
Phill B. McKenna: Centre for Mined Land Rehabilitation, Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
Natasha Ufer: Department of Environment, Science and Innovation, Queensland Government, Brisbane, QLD 4001, Australia
Thomas Baumgartl: Future Regions Research Centre, Federation University, Gippsland, VIC 3841, Australia
Neil McIntyre: Centre for Water in the Minerals Industry, Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia
Mandana Shaygan: Centre for Water in the Minerals Industry, Sustainable Minerals Institute, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, QLD 4072, Australia

Land, 2024, vol. 13, issue 12, 1-22

Abstract: The Temperate Highland Peat Swamps on Sandstone (TPHSS) in the Sydney Basin of Australia provide critical ecological and hydrological services but are increasingly threatened by wildfires and human activities such as underground mining. The 2019–2020 wildfires severely impacted these swamps, raising concerns about their resilience and recovery. This study assessed the post-fire recovery of swamps and evaluated the ability of remote sensing techniques to determine recovery patterns. Specifically, it investigated differences in post-fire recovery patterns between swamps where groundwater levels and soil moisture contents were impacted by underground mining and those unimpacted by mining. Two mined and one non-mined swamp were studied. Soil moisture contents were monitored at five sites, and previously performed vegetation field surveys (2016–2022) were utilized. Remote sensing indices, including the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and Soil Moisture Index (SMI), were calculated and compared with ground data to map post-fire responses. The results showed that hydrological conditions directly affect post-fire recovery, with slower recovery in mined swamps compared to non-mined ones. This study demonstrated that NDVI and SMI indices can effectively determine recovery patterns in terms of vegetation and hydrology. However, evaluating the recovery pattern of specific vegetation species requires more frequent field surveys.

Keywords: Normalized Differenced Vegetation Index (NDVI); soil moisture index (SMI); Sydney Basin; upland swamps; wildfire (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
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