Brazil<\/a>, Indonesia<\/a> and central Africa\u2019s Congo Basin<\/a> are all famous for their peatlands. Australia<\/a> is also dotted with these ancient wetlands.<\/p>\n Peatlands are crucial carbon stores, locking up roughly one-third<\/a> of the carbon found in our planet\u2019s soils.<\/p>\n But when peat dries out and burns, the consequences can be disastrous: incinerated soils, smouldering wetlands<\/a>, air pollution and massive carbon emissions.<\/p>\n But surprisingly, peat fires in dry Australia aren\u2019t always a problem. Sometimes, these fires do vital ecological work.<\/p>\n When peatlands burn<\/p>\n Globally, peatland fires are generally viewed as an environmental danger<\/a>.<\/p>\n In Indonesia, for example, authorities this year are bracing<\/a> for severe peat fires under the hotter, drier conditions created by a strong El Ni\u00f1o<\/a> weather pattern. Peatland fires are also worryingly common in countries such as Malaysia<\/a> and Chile<\/a>. <\/p>\n These fires are most destructive when they don\u2019t just burn vegetation, but the peat itself. When peat catches fire, it can smoulder underground<\/a> for months<\/a> or even years.<\/p>\n These hidden blazes are much harder to extinguish, and inflict long-term damage on wetland plants, animals and ecosystems. They also release massive amounts of stored carbon<\/a> back into the atmosphere.<\/p>\n A tree burnt by a peat fire in the Deep Creek region of South Australia. Australia: a more nuanced picture<\/p>\n In some environments, fire is both a danger and a vital ecological process. Australia is a case in point.<\/p>\n Australia is home to various kinds of peatlands. These range from desert mound springs in outback Western Australia<\/a> and South Australia<\/a> to subtropical coastal peat swamps<\/a>, which stretch from Queensland to New South Wales. There are also the buttongrass moorlands<\/a> of Tasmania and alpine bogs<\/a> found across eastern Australia.<\/p>\n Some of these ecosystems have evolved to thrive even after being burnt. So under the right conditions, authorities can use fire to help conserve them.<\/p>\n Read more: Ecological burns<\/a> involve lighting controlled, low-temperature fires to maintain, restore or boost the health of an ecosystem. These fires stop vegetation from growing too densely<\/a>. They also create and maintain crucial habitat for local wildlife<\/a> by making space for new plants to grow. Heat and smoke from fire can also germinate<\/a> the seeds of certain fire-adapted plants.<\/p>\n We can see this in the Fleurieu Peninsula swamps<\/a> of South Australia. At these nationally threatened wetlands, authorities often run ecological burning<\/a> programs. These burns have ensured several threatened species<\/a> \u2013 such as the Yundi guinea-flower (Hibbertia tenuis) and southern emu-wren (Stipiturus malachurus intermedius) \u2013 are now flourishing. Other research<\/a> shows heat and smoke from managed fires have accelerated seedling growth across these swamps. <\/p>\n Ecological burns are not a modern invention, but have many parallels with cultural burning<\/a>. Charcoal and pollen records suggest First Nations communities were already burning<\/a> parts of the Fleurieu Peninsula wetlands well before European settlement<\/a>.<\/p>\n Burning plants, not peat<\/p>\n To restore peatlands with fire, it\u2019s crucial that any flames burn vegetation without affecting the peat below. This ensures the peat stays wet and protected.<\/p>\n If a blaze reaches the peat layer, it becomes an urgent environmental risk.<\/p>\n This happened not too long ago in the peatlands of south-west Western Australia. There an underground peat fire burnt for more than six months in 2024, becoming one of the state\u2019s longest-running fires<\/a>. And it kept burning despite record rain and the efforts of local firefighters.<\/p>\n![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/file-20260727-67-oi35te.jpeg\")
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\n Christopher Auricht<\/p>\n
\n Peat was historically mined overseas because it burns so well. But Australia\u2019s subtropical peat bogs need fire to survive<\/a><\/p>\n
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