The University of Wollongong will house a new $4 million Bushfire Risk Management Research Hub.
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The Hub is part of a five-year research partnership between UOW and the Office of Environment and Heritage (OEH).
On Wednesday the NSW Government provided $4 million and launched the hub which will provide the “NSW-centred scientific research we need to ensure the safety of our communities, property and the environment”.
“The Hub will host a team of world-class experts who will work with the communities most vulnerable to bushfires,” Minister for the Environment Gabrielle Upton added.
Minister for Emergency Services Troy Grant welcomed the partnership and the Hub’s specialised focus on NSW bushfires.
This Hub brings together academic expertise and practical knowledge from our firefighters to develop ways we can mitigate bushfires in the future.
- Minister for Emergency Services Troy Grant
“Each year bushfires pose significant risks to lives and property across our state. This Hub brings together academic expertise and practical knowledge from our firefighters to develop ways we can mitigate bushfires in the future,” Mr Grant said.
“What works for one area may not work for another, so it’s great that this research will look at local solutions across the state.”
Professor Ross Bradstock will play a lead role in the new Hub located in the Centre for Environmental Risk Management of Bushfires at UOW.
He will be joined by fellow experts from UOW, Western Sydney University, the University of NSW and the University of Tasmania.
They will work with OEH, the NSW Rural Fire Service and NSW Environment Protection Authority to deliver research to reduce bushfire risk to urban, rural and indigenous communities.
Their key research focuses include:
- Impacts and management of hazard reduction burns;
- Drivers of bushfire frequency and severity;
- Impacts on air quality; and
- Impacts on the environment and endangered plants and animals.