Integrating remote sensing and spatial analysis techniques to compare aboriginal and pastoral fire patterns in the East Kimberley, Australia

Abstract

In the East Kimberley region of tropical northern Australia, fire is an important land management tool of both pastoralists and Aboriginal people. The nature of land tenure means that they are often competing to burn the same land, resulting in conflict over the appropriate frequency and seasonality of fire and its effects on the environment. Remote sensing and spatial analysis techniques were used to compare the different uses of fire and provide some quantitative assessment of the ecological impacts. Multitemporal Landsat Thematic Mapper imagery was used to delineate fire patterns over a three-year period. A geographic information system was used to integrate the resultant land cover maps,..