The Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge

The Leeuwin-Naturaliste Ridge is an area of great concern to the Bush Fire Front. It contains a hazardous cocktail of dense highly inflammable coastal vegetation, karri forest, jarrah-marri forest, vineyards, livestock grazing, hobby farms, and settlements.

Some of the settlements have subdivisions that were developed with inadequate attention to fire management issues. It receives heavy visitation from tourists and there are many recreation sites scattered throughout the region. There are a large number of absentee landowners who have little appreciation of bushfire risks and how to manage them. The Margaret River fire gave a good illustration of the potential for disaster, but it could have been much, much worse.

Bush Fire Front member John Evans has been very active in promoting improved fire management in the region. This section sets out some of his activities directed at landowners on the Ridge and at a seminar held by the BFF at Dunsborough in 2006. Note that the text refers to DEC, which was the agency managing national parks and State forests in the region at that time. It is now DBCA. There has been some reduction in the area of high fuel load since 2006, but the region remains in a dangerous situation.