Action item 8.5

That gas companies be required to comply with any statutory regional fire management plan within their area of exploration and/or production activity. The fire management plan must:

• address the impacts that any onshore shale gas industry will have on fire regimes in the NT and identify how those impacts will be managed;
• establish robust monitoring programs for assessing seasonal conditions and fuel loads;
• require that annual fire mapping be undertaken to monitor any increase in fire frequency due to any onshore shale gas development;
• require that all existing baseline data for at least the decade prior to commencement of any exploration activity be collated and published;
• implement management actions, such as prescribed fuel reduction burns at strategic locations, if fire frequency is shown to have increased due to onshore shale gas activity; and
• facilitate support for local volunteer fire brigades to increase regional capacity for fire management

Completed