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I..Emergency Management ~. .. ~ .. ~.~ ~~ produced by Emergency ~ana~ementAustralia Vol 14 No 3 Spring 1999 ~~~ ~ . ~ .~ ~~ -.- ~~ . In this issue ... 'Vh 'Ecological emergencies' and resource and environmental baa~AV management by Stephen Dovers and Tony Norton baa When is a fire an ecological emergency? VAL7 by Ross A Bradstock and A Malcolm Gill , Vo Ecological impacts of flood mitigation and drainage $29 in coastal lowlands by Ian White, Lance Heath and Mike Melville Assessing the risk associated with importing and keeping exotic vertebrates in Australia by Mary Bomford and Quentin Hart Blue green algal blooms: a preventable emergency? baa QaV by John Whittington ,Vb DGO in remembrance: post-disaster rituals and symbols ~AV by Anne Eyre baa lmpad of landslides in Australia to June 1999 QAv by Marion Michael-Leiba / Vo Disasters as Heuristics? A case study baa A by Dr Simon Bennett -on Managing volunteers Dad QAV by Major General B W Howard AD MC .% New thinking on disasters; the link between safety culture baaonv and risk-taking by CJ Pitzer /% Controlling crisis chaos DGa QAV by Ross Campbell / % Media coverage of mass death: not always unwelcome Dad UAV by Joseph Scanlon and Conrad McCullum Using cyberspace to enhance disaster mitigation, planning baa and response: opportunities and limitations QAV by Dr Henry W Fischer NI Plus . Book reviews Conference announcement Disaster Events calendar EMA Update Centre pages ,I Front cover: Main Image - important forest habitat destroyed by fire bhoto: TNorton) Other Images - desf~ctionoiimportant hab~lalccan threaten mre nnectar feeding birds andsmall mammals; bushfires threatening hnportanl natural features, human 11leand properly (photos: I Williams) / The 61\ Australian \,, %, /\ Journal of / '- L1 \, Ecological emergencies Emergen'tyO-' in Australia: issues and I Management 1 challenges for environmental The Australian Joumal of Emergency Manage- ment is published by the Australian Emergency Management Institute, Mt Macedon, Victoria, and emergency management ~ustiia.Funding for publication isprovided by Emergency Management Australia. The journal's cirrulation is 51 00 copies, distributed agencies without charge to subscribers throughout Australia. it is also sent to people throughout the world. , nvironmental change, and many ecological perspectives. The term 'environ- me joumai endeavours to provide an infor- -emergencies and hazards often mental emergencies' (and environmental mation sharingforum for all those involved in have their roots in basic features risk) has been avoided as this is generally E of the Australian environment- taken to refer primarily to pollution emergency management Contributions relating to Australian and international emergency droughts, flooding rains and wildfires- episodes (eg. chemical or oil spills, fires activities, artlcles identifying and discussing and a failure of humans to recognise and at factories) and mostly to situations where ; issues, policies, planning o/ procedural con- accommodate these features. Climatic humans or their property are the primary cerns, researh reports and any other infor- I mation relevantto the emergency and disaster variability, especially in precipitation, is concerns. For the purposes of this forum : management community are welcome. one enormously important feature. The 'ecological emergencies' are defined as legacy of the evolutionary history of the sudden-onset events where the subject is The aim of this publication is the exchange of , I., ~nfonnation and views aaoss the Australian Australian continent is another feature, non-human, such as biological diversity, an I emergency management community, therefore, 8 since Australia is the only rich country ecosystem, a species, or a river system. In , theviews expressed in this journal should not considered 'mega-diverse' in biological an ecological emergency, humans or human be taken to be the views of Emermcy-. diversity. Another feature is a European property may also be threatened, but the Management Australia. history of extraordinarily poor environment threat may be only to non-human entities. This journal incorporates a review process. management. Of note is the impact of The papers represent one of the out- Three levels of review-refereeing, editorial humansonecosystems and their biota, and comes of a national workshop: Planning board review and editing-are conducted. on important biophysical and ecological for Ecological Emergencies that was held Material submitted for publication should be on at the Australian Emergency Management diskand reachthe Editor by thefoliowlngdates: processes-the foundations of natural I systems. In the absence of management Institute, Mt Macedon, Victoria during Summer - October 15V1; Autumn - January i 15th; Winter- April 15th; Spring - July 15th. ! reform, as environmental change continues 9-1 I September 1998. We are very grateful me editorial committee resewes the right to i we can expect these features to manifest to the Institute for their support to determine the suitability of ail material , and produce more ecological surprises conduct this meeting. submitted and where necessary lo edit ! and situations that threaten the persistence submissions. of key ecological systems. At threat is the By Stephen Dovers, Tony Norton and Articles for publication may be I remaining natural heritage of Australia, as John Handmer forwarded to: well as human life and property. Dr Stephen Dovers is a Research Fellow Rob fleming This expectation, not to mention the at the Australian National University, Editor increase in the number and significance ACT; Tony Norton is NRS Professor of Australian Emergency Management InstitUte Main Road of ecological impacts and crises during the Spatial Information Science at RMlT Mt Macedon. Victoria 3441 past two decades, raises many questions: University, Victoria; and lohn Handmer Tel: (03) 5421 5100; Fax: (03) 5421 5272 What are the relationships and connections is professor of ceograph; at Middlesex Email: [email protected] between environmental/ecological mana- University, Enfield, United Kingdom. I Subscriptions gement and emergency management in / if you wish to be placed on our mailing list Australia? Can these connections he Apology please contact Rob Fleming, Australian employed to improve environmental I wish to mint out thal the lead artide in the last / Emergency Management institute,at the above management, especially the management Isrue of tie journal by Roger Douglas of the W~aol address. of ecological emergencies? Can emergency d Law and Lwl Studls at Lauobe Lniverslly on I '~dministmtive~bwand Response to ~rnergencies' 1 Journal design and production by management operations be improved to did not contaln the required references. l3is was Dianne Treble avoid unnecessary impacts on the natural an oversight In the Vansfening of material to the 1 Publishin!? innoMtions environment? How can greater interaction desktotoo ~ubllshlnk?stace. To be able to access the RSD 81 3Spnng HIII. Viciona 3444 <ompl&and car% Ade we have modlned the Tel 1031 5424 8339. Fax (031 5424 8262 and cooperation be fostered between these two fields? I elwonr copy 01 the lomal and s can be torn& / Emaii: ~blish@~neion.netau' at w.ema.gov.au/pcatians.htm The five papers relating to this topic are 1 ISSN 1324 1540 i I wish to apalagise for any lncanventence and presented to consider some of these embanassmenl mused through this error. i- ~. questions in more detail from a range of spring 1999 'Ecological emergencies' and resource and environmental management .~ -- ~. .. - -~~ . he purpose of this and the other economic dimensions of problems, and by Stephen Dovers, Centre for Resource and ;articles'constitutes is toan discuss 'ecological what the (proposed) treatment of these in T Environmental Studies, The Australian an integrated fashion (i.e. environ- \ National University; andTony Notton, ' ' emergency', and to consider mental issues cannot be treated as a some of the key linkages between environ- Department of Land Information, discrete, separate policy and mana- mentallecological management and RMlT University gement area). Especially important has .~~ - .. ~ . emergency management in Australia. To been the close linking of environment dothis, thearticle provides someecological and development; have diminished-especially those of and environmental management context recognition of the need to address limited or specialised distribution or as background to the discussion. We argue deeper causes and wider contexts (e.g. those located in parts of the landscape that both fields have much to offer each reducing waste streams andlor resource also attractive to human use. Ofsignificant other in terms of insight to improve the use rather than just cleaning up after- concern is the impact of humans on quality of planning and management. wards; protecting biological diversity important ecological processes-the Moreover, emergency management agen- across entire landscapes, not just in foundations of natural systems. These cies have a vital role to play in regard to the reserves; or managing land and water ecological processes include nutrient management of ecological emergencies in issues across whole catchments in an cycles, climate processes, hydrological Australia.The connections between the two integrated way); cycles and pollination. This concern shifts tields need to be identified and developed recognition of global dimensions and attention from traditional 'nature conser- to maximise opportunities