All Fired Up! Safety burns around Skukuza
1 August 2020
Tercia Strydom
Scientist: Abiotic Processes
As every good savanna ecologist knows, fire is a very important tool to promote ecosystem health, improve grazing quality and manipulate where and how animals use space. However, when it comes to using fires around tourism infrastructure and residential areas, managers and scientists tend to be a little more “cautious”, resulting in build-up of moribund grass biomass and leaf litter, which in the end poses increased fire risk to these infrastructure. Smoke and cinders are also not very favoured by tourists, as it impacts negatively on photographic safaris, resulting in some areas of Skukuza having not been burned in over 60 years!
One of the opportunities that the national lockdown has afforded has been time for some good old-fashioned housekeeping; with rangers, technical services, scientific services, conservation management and tourism staff in Kruger coming together to safely use fire to protect infrastructure as well as to open up thicker areas to reduce thick underbrush and improve visibility. Having had great success with the controlled management fires in Mopani Camp, the team set their sights on Skukuza. Many may not realise, but living and working in a Big-5 park, does put one in close proximity with dangerous megafauna. Seeing and being seen, is one of the best ways to keep everyone safe, and there too, fire can be a very useful tool to open up the space, and prevent close encounters of a dangerous (wildlife) kind.
Burning around Skukuza however, is no easy feat. There are buildings everywhere and loads of nervous people (relatively speaking) who would be uncomfortable with a management fire next to their offices or homes. Hence, this operation required careful coordination, cooperation and communication.
During 24th June – 1 July 2020, controlled fires were ignited in multiple patches around Skukuza such as around the Transport Depo, Living Quarters, Solar Farm, Tourist Camp, inside the Day Visitors Site as well as in between houses in the Staff Village. The exercise not only helped to open up the space and protect infrastructure, but highlighted the value of the well-oiled multidisciplinary team of people.
