The Challenge of Wilderness Fire Stewardship in a Time of Change A South African Perspective

In keeping with the South African definition of wilderness (National Environmental Management: Protected Areas Act No. 57 of 2003), the policy is to preserve natural conditions by allowing natural ecological processes to operate without human interference. This policy presents managers with a dilemma for wilderness fire stewardship: What is the natural or historical fire regime, and is wilderness fire stewardship possible without human interference? Although our wilderness areas are considered large enough for most natural processes to take their course, this does not hold true for fire. As a result of the ecological, social, and policy environments within which wilderness stewards operate, human interference is essential. Active fire management is required to maintain ecological processes, protect life and property, and to ensure that burning takes place within the prescribed legal framework. Human interference can be used to simulate the natural or historical fire regime. However, in order to implement the natural fire regime, we need to know: (1) what the natural fire regime is, (2) whether it is still beneficial in our current context, and (3) whether it is even possible to implement in a landscape that is vastly different from the historical one. Lightning-caused ignitions are accepted as being the primary source of natural ignitions, but on a continent where fire has been used for centuries by indigenous people, these are often also considered natural ignitions (Hall 1984). As a result of these two sources of ignition, fire was probably more heterogeneous (patchy) in the past. The heterogeneity that used to occur at a regional level is, however, no longer possible. Decisions regarding wilderness fire stewardship can now only be implemented at a local level and are based on objectives and conservation targets of these areas and the social and political influences on them.