Insects, Fire and Conservation

A global synthesis of the impacts of wildfires and controlled burning on insects, bringing together much hitherto scattered information to provide a guide to improved conservation management practice. The great variety of responses by insect species and assemblages demonstrates the often subtle balance between fire being a severe threat and a vital management component. Examples from many parts of the world and from diverse biotopes and production systems display the increasingly detailed appreciation of fire impacts on insects in terrestrial and freshwater environments and the ways in which prescribed burning may be tailored to reduce harmful ecological impacts and incorporated into protocols for threatened species and wider insect conservation benefits.

Emeritus Professor Tim New is an entomologist with broad interests in insect systematics, ecology and conservation. For long based at La Trobe University, Melbourne, he has travelled widely to collect and study insects in many parts of the world, and his extensive publications on these topics include about 40 books. He is recognised globally as one of the leading advocates for insect conservation.