A bushfire management plan has been released for Kangaroo Island's parks, providing more guidance on managing fuel loads and fire risks.
Released for public consultation, the blueprint follows a review of the fires during the summer of 2019/20 that blackened more than 200,000 hectares including large sections of Flinders Chase National Park.
It brings together what were previously four separate fire management plans to ensure risk assessments are in line with international standards and national guidelines.
The Department for Environment and Water's fire management director Fiona Gill said the draft plan took into account local knowledge and the lived experiences of island residents.
“The latest fire science, knowledge and computer-based tools have also been used to make the draft plan more effective, more evidence-based and in line with national best practice," she said.
In his review of the 2019/20 bushfire season, former Australian Federal Police commissioner Mick Keelty found communication between emergency service crews and resourcing were key issues that hampered efforts to contain fires in the Adelaide Hills and on Yorke Peninsula and Kangaroo Island.
His report also highlighted the development of a new state bushfire plan, the community warnings issued as fires developed, how major incidents were managed and what resources were available.
The new plan for parks on Kangaroo Island will set priorities about where and how to conduct fuel reduction burns and other risk reduction activities.
It includes strategies for maintaining and improving fuel breaks, access tracks and firefighting equipment and for maintaining highly trained and skilled firefighters.
The department said while a fire management plan could not prevent bushfires it could help reduce their impact, improve firefighter response, manage native vegetation and protect biodiversity.
The government will take public submissions until August 7.
