Late Dry Season Fires Research Articles

Fuel load mapping in the Brazilian Cerrado in support of integrated fire management

The Brazilian Cerrado is considered to be the most species-rich savannah region in the world, covering ~2 million km2. Uncontrolled late season fires promote deforestation, produce greenhouse gases (~25% of Brazil's land-use related CO2 emissions between 2003 and 2005) and are a major threat to the conservation of biodiversity in protected areas. Governmental institutions therefore implemented early dry season (EDS) prescribed burnings as part of integrated fire management (IFM) in protected areas of the Cerrado, with the aim to reduce the area and severity of late dry season (LDS) fires. The planning and implementation of EDS prescribed burning is supported by satellite-based geo-information on fuel conditions, derived from Landsat 8 and Sentinel-2 data. The Mixture Tuned Matched Filtering algorithm was used to analyse the data, and the relationship between the resulting matched fractions (dry vegetation, green vegetation and soil) and in situ surface fuel samples was assessed. The linear regression of in situ data versus matched filter scores (MF scores) of dry vegetation showed an r2 of 0.81 (RMSE = 0.15) and in situ data versus MF scores of soil showed an r2 of 0.65 (RMSE = 0.38). To predict quantitative fuel load, a multiple linear regression analysis was carried out with MF scores of NPV and soil as predictors (adjusted r2 = 0.86; p < 0.001; standard error = 0.075). The fuel load maps were additionally evaluated by fire managers while planning EDS prescribed burning campaigns. The fuel load mapping approach has proven to be an effective tool for integrated fire management by improving the planning and implementation of prescribed burning, promoting pyrodiversity, prioritising fire suppression and evaluating fire management efforts to meet overall conservations goals. National and state level authorities have successfully institutionalized the approach and it was incorporated into IFM policies in Brazil.

Fire management in the Brazilian savanna: First steps and the way forward

Abstract Several decades of frustrated attempts to prevent fires in the Brazilian Savanna (Cerrado) have led to deleterious ecological and management consequences. In 2014, the first Integrated Fire Management (IFM) programme was launched in three protected areas (PAs). The IFM programme considers local practices, ecological information, management options and aims to create landscape mosaics of different fire histories to conserve biodiversity, reduce the prevalence of late‐dry season (LDS) wildfires, protect fire‐sensitive vegetation and reduce conflicts between PA managers and local communities. The first 3 years of imposed fire management regimes led to 40%–57% reduction in LDS fires, improved dialogue between researchers, managers and local communities, generating fire management learning communities. Synthesis and applications. This Integrated Fire Management programme represents a major advance in Cerrado management and conservation, by actively managing fires and decreasing the proportion of areas burnt by late‐dry season wildfires. It can contribute to PAs’ management in the Cerrado and other South American fire‐prone ecosystems. Long‐term monitoring and research are essential to understand the ecological implications and to improve fire management practices.

Post-fire reproduction of herbs at a savanna-gallery forest boundary in Distrito Federal, Brazil

In Cerrado, studies of post-fire vegetation recovery show that some herbaceous species are able to flower shortly after fires. However, these were mainly short-term studies that focused on grasslands and savannas. Little is known about the effects of fire on ground layer of forests that border the savannas in Central Brazil. Thus, an accidental burning gave us the opportunity to describe the reproductive activity of the ground layer vegetation after a fire event along a savanna-forest boundary at the IBGE Ecological Reserve, Brasília, Brazil. During the 16-month of the inventory, we registered 170 herbaceous species flowering or fruiting, of which 52 species (31%) may have been influenced by fire that changed their times of reproduction. In the savanna plots reproduction peaked at the end of the rainy season. Of the total number of reproducing species, 90 species occurred only in the savanna and four in the forest. Five herbs were recorded in the forest, savanna and border environments. Late dry season fire probably lead the majority of herbaceous species to have their reproduction spread throughout the study time.

How do the wets burn? Fire behavior and intensity in wet grasslands in the Brazilian savanna

Although wetlands are commonly managed with fire by local communities and managers in tropical savannas, little is known about fire behavior in these ecosystems. We measured fire intensity and temperature in 13 experimental early (June) and late (September) dry season fires in wet grasslands in the Brazilian savanna, the Cerrado. We aimed to characterize Cerrado wet grasslands fire behavior and to understand how fire season (early vs. late dry season) and time since last fire affect fire behavior and intensity. We compared fire intensities in biennially burnt areas to areas unburned for 5 years. Experimental fires consumed 60–98 % of the fuel and were of low intensity (240–1083 kW m−1) compared to those in dry savanna grassland with similar fuel loads (0.4–1.3 kg m−2). Fires in areas with contrasting times since last fire (2 and 5 years) had similar intensities. Late dry season fires tended to be more intense than early dry season fires, but the difference was not significant. The low fire intensities are probably due to high soil water availability year around, a characteristic of wetlands. Maximum temperatures were low (149–442 °C, mostly at 50 cm in height) compared to fires in dry savanna ecosystems. Our results can directly contribute to plan and implementation of fire management programs in the “Cerrado”, where it is mostly still not carried out.

An examination of the potential efficacy of high‐intensity fires for reversing woody encroachment in savannas

Summary Frequent fires are often proposed as a way of preventing woody encroachment in savannas, yet few studies have examined whether high‐intensity fires can effectively reverse woody encroachment. We applied successive fire treatments to examine the effect of fire intensity on woody vegetation structure. The treatments included early dry season, low‐intensity fires; late dry season, higher‐intensity fires; and an unburnt control. We used pre‐ and post‐fire airborne LiDAR to compare vegetation structural changes brought about by fires of different intensity. Early dry season fires were of lower intensity (1400–2100 kW m−1) than late dry season fires (2500–4300 kW m−1). The two treatments also differed in terms of fuel consumed, scorch heights and char heights, indicating that clear differences in fire intensity and severity were achieved. After 4 years and two fire applications, relative woody cover increased by between 20 and 110% in different height categories following low‐intensity and control treatments and declined by between 3 and 70% following high‐intensity fire treatments. Declines were markedly higher following two repeated high‐intensity fires than following a high and then a moderate‐intensity fire. Because woody shrubs in lower height classes can recover rapidly, repeated high‐intensity fires would be needed to maintain lower cover. Tall trees are often assumed to be unaffected by fires. However, we found that the rate of tree loss was directly related to fire intensity, where 36% of trees were lost following repeated high‐intensity fires, compared to 22% after a high‐ and then a moderate‐intensity fire and 6% after two low‐intensity fires (3% without fire). Synthesis and applications. Using LiDAR data we show that high‐intensity fires can, at least in the short term, significantly reduce woody cover in South African savannas. The use of repeated high‐intensity fires simultaneously causes both a positive (reduction in cover of short shrubs) and a negative (loss of tall trees) outcome, and managers need to make trade‐offs when contemplating the use of fire intensity to achieve specific goals. One potential solution may be to repeatedly apply high‐intensity treatments to some areas, and not to others. This could generate a heterogeneous landscape where grasses become dominant and tall trees become scarce in some places, but in others, tall trees persist (or at least decline at slower rates), and shorter woody shrubs increase in dominance. Whether this would be acceptable, or practical, remains to be tested.

Fire management business in Australia's tropical savannas: Lighting the way for a new ecosystem services model for the north?

Fire management business in Australia's tropical savannas: Lighting the way for a new ecosystem services model for the north?

Influence of Fire Mosaics, Habitat Characteristics and Cattle Disturbance on Mammals in Fire-Prone Savanna Landscapes of the Northern Kimberley.

Patch mosaic burning, in which fire is used to produce a mosaic of habitat patches representative of a range of fire histories (‘pyrodiversity’), has been widely advocated to promote greater biodiversity. However, the details of desired fire mosaics for prescribed burning programs are often unspecified. Threatened small to medium-sized mammals (35 g to 5.5 kg) in the fire-prone tropical savannas of Australia appear to be particularly fire-sensitive. Consequently, a clear understanding of which properties of fire mosaics are most instrumental in influencing savanna mammal populations is critical. Here we use mammal capture data, remotely sensed fire information (i.e. time since last fire, fire frequency, frequency of late dry season fires, diversity of post-fire ages in 3 km radius, and spatial extent of recently burnt, intermediate and long unburnt habitat) and structural habitat attributes (including an index of cattle disturbance) to examine which characteristics of fire mosaics most influence mammals in the north-west Kimberley. We used general linear models to examine the relationship between fire mosaic and habitat attributes on total mammal abundance and richness, and the abundance of the most commonly detected species. Strong negative associations of mammal abundance and richness with frequency of late dry season fires, the spatial extent of recently burnt habitat (post-fire age <1 year within 3 km radius) and level of cattle disturbance were observed. Shrub cover was positively related to both mammal abundance and richness, and availability of rock crevices, ground vegetation cover and spatial extent of ≥4 years unburnt habitat were all positively associated with at least some of the mammal species modelled. We found little support for diversity of post-fire age classes in the models. Our results indicate that both a high frequency of intense late dry season fires and extensive, recently burnt vegetation are likely to be detrimental to mammals in the north Kimberley. A managed fire mosaic that reduces large scale and intense fires, including the retention of ≥4 years unburnt patches, will clearly benefit savanna mammals. We also highlighted the importance of fire mosaics that retain sufficient shelter for mammals. Along with fire, it is clear that grazing by introduced herbivores also needs to be reduced so that habitat quality is maintained.

Potential role of ignition management in reducing unplanned burning in Arnhem Land, Australia

AbstractFire management attempts to coerce fire into a desired regime using three primary strategies: prescribed burning, fire suppression and ignition management. The West Arnhem Land Fire Abatement project (WALFA), where prescribed Early Dry Season burning is used to reduce unplanned Late Dry Season burning, is heralded as model for prescribed burning. However, a previous analysis found that Late Dry Season area burnt in WALFA had been reduced further than would be expected based purely on the Early Dry Season treatment area. This study investigated whether treatment has reduced the number and size of unplanned fires. Daily burnt area mapping from MODIS satellite sensors was used to identify individual fires to compare fire activity before and after management was introduced in WALFA (2005) and in a control region in East Arnhem Land. Late Dry Season area burnt reduced after treatment in WALFA but also in the control region. The number of fires in August–October increased after treatment. There is a period from early August until late September when human ignitions can cause huge fires. Late Dry Season area burnt was strongly influenced by the size of the largest single fire and only weakly by the number of ignitions. Early Dry Season area burnt had modest effects on both the number and maximum size of Late Dry Season fires. Eliminating the largest fire in each 1600 km2 sample block would have halved the total Late Dry Season area burnt. A similar reduction could be obtained from a 14% annual treatment with Early Dry Season fire, but this may not reduce the overall area burnt. If overall fire frequency is the main threat to biodiversity in the savannas, then the best solution will be to prevent the small subset of fires that have the potential to become very large.

Seasonal differences in fire activity and intensity in tropical savannas of northern Australia using satellite measurements of fire radiative power

Earth observation sensors play an important role in quantifying the energy released by fires and capturing their spatial and temporal dynamics. Using estimates of MODIS-derived fire radiative power (FRP) we characterised bushfire activity and intensity in tropical savannas of northern Australia, by season and vegetation type, over the period 2004–2012. Our results indicate that fire activity was highest in the Northern Territory and lowest in Queensland. Mean daily number of fire detections was almost twice as high in the late dry season (August–November) compared to the early dry season (May–July). Fire season was bimodal with fire activity peaks in May and October. Median fire intensity was lower for early dry season fires (29 MW) than late dry season fires (56 MW), and was positively correlated with the number of fire detections. Vegetation types with sparse canopy structure showed lower fire activity and higher intensity. Remote sensing of FRP provides frequent estimates of fire intensity over broad areas, allowing the comparison of this key fire behaviour metric across ecosystems and throughout the fire season. FRP estimates may also be used to draw inferences regarding fire effects, once the complexity and ecosystem-specificity of the relationships between fire intensity and fire severity is acknowledged.

Contemporary fire regime risks to key ecological assets and processes in north Australian savannas

Despite the intact appearance of relatively unmodified north Australian savannas, mounting evidence indicates that contemporary fire regimes characterised by frequent, extensive and severe late dry season wildfires are having deleterious effects on a range of regional water, soil erosion, biodiversity conservation and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions values. For the high rainfall (&gt;1000 mm year–1) savannas (426 000 km2), we assessed the spatial effects of contemporary fire regimes within the context of ecosystem response models and three plausible alternative fire management scenarios on ecosystem attributes. Over the 2008–12 assessment period, mean annual fire frequency (0.53) comprised mostly late dry season fires. Although spatially variable, contemporary fire regimes resulted in substantial GHG emissions, hill slope erosion and suspended sediment transport, a slight decline in carbon biomass and slight positive effects on fire-vulnerable vegetation. Based on available climate change models and strategic fire management practice, we show that, relative to business-as-usual, improved fire management involving strategic prescribed burning results in substantial benefits to most ecosystem attributes, including under enhanced climate change conditions, whereas in the absence of improved fire management, climate change results in substantially worse outcomes.

Climate change and long-term fire management impacts on Australian savannas.

Tropical savannas cover a large proportion of the Earth's land surface and many people are dependent on the ecosystem services that savannas supply. Their sustainable management is crucial. Owing to the complexity of savanna vegetation dynamics, climate change and land use impacts on savannas are highly uncertain. We used a dynamic vegetation model, the adaptive dynamic global vegetation model (aDGVM), to project how climate change and fire management might influence future vegetation in northern Australian savannas. Under future climate conditions, vegetation can store more carbon than under ambient conditions. Changes in rainfall seasonality influence future carbon storage but do not turn vegetation into a carbon source, suggesting that CO₂ fertilization is the main driver of vegetation change. The application of prescribed fires with varying return intervals and burning season influences vegetation and fire impacts. Carbon sequestration is maximized with early dry season fires and long fire return intervals, while grass productivity is maximized with late dry season fires and intermediate fire return intervals. The study has implications for management policy across Australian savannas because it identifies how fire management strategies may influence grazing yield, carbon sequestration and greenhouse gas emissions. This knowledge is crucial to maintaining important ecosystem services of Australian savannas.

Escaping the flames: large termitaria as refugia from fire in miombo woodland

At finer scales, spatial heterogeneity can influence fire intensity and severity. To test whether Macrotermes termite mounds act as fire refugia for woody plants, we assessed effects of fire on individual plants, woody plant structure and composition in a miombo woodland in Zimbabwe, where elephants have decreased tree cover, leading to increased grass cover, fuelling greater intensity fires. We compared exposure to fire on 47 paired mound-matrix plots at three sites. Mound-based woody plants were less exposed to fire than those in matrix positions. Woody species composition differed between mound and matrix, and there were more tall trees on mounds. We assessed grass cover, elephant damage, fire damage and resprouting response for all woody plants found on 10 paired mound-matrix plots that had been equally exposed to severe late dry season fires. Grass cover was three times greater for matrix sites, where 85 % of woody species experienced heavy fire damage, compared to 29 % for mounds. Matrix species were nearly 31 times more likely than mound species to exhibit a vigorous resprouting response after fire damage, all else being equal. The distinct composition of termitaria vegetation has been attributed to edaphic factors. To this should be added the fire-retardant properties of mounds, allowing woody species that might otherwise have been excluded, to persist in a fire-prone system. Thus, spatial pattern created by termitaria is reinforced through exclusion of fire, allowing different species composition and structure. Since termitaria are important for productivity and biodiversity, the refuge effect is significant for the system.

Effects of early and late-dry season fires on mortality, dispersal and breeding of malimbe &lt;i&gt;Malimbus scutatus&lt;/i&gt; in the Southern Guinea savannah

Inappropriate use of fire in the guinea savannah is one of the main processes threatening its biodiversity and despite its importance in shaping savannah, it remains poorly understood how the frequency, seasonality and intensity of the fire interact to influence the activities of bird species. While species adversely affected by fire have been documented, empirical studies that seek to identify the ecological mechanisms that underpin this decline are rare. This paper examined the effects of early- and late-dry season fires and a control on the mortality, dispersal and breeding of malimbe Malimbus scutatus in Ikwe Wildlife Park and also tested whether the early fire area became a refuge after the late fire. None of the fire treatment caused any increase in mortality. Individuals relocated short distances to unburnt habitat following both fires. Some birds use the early fire area after the late fire. Mayfield (1975) method of estimations of daily egg-survival probability showed no difference (P &gt; 0.05) among the treatments, whereas the daily probability of nestling survival was significantly lower in the late fire area. Results suggested that the reproductive output of malimbe was low following latedry season fire, and this is the main mechanism that explains their decline. This study provides support for the idea of using early-dry season prescribed burning to limit the effect of late-dry season fire on malimbe.Keywords: inappropriate use, threatening, biodiversity, seasonality, poorly understood, nestling survival.

Role of weather and fuel in stopping fire spread in tropical savannas

Analysis of wildfire extinguishment can help to identify the relative contribution of weather and management to the prevention of fire spread. Here we examine the role of weather, previous fire scars and other fuel interruptions at stopping the spread of nine large (mean 90 000 ha) late dry season fires in Arnhem Land, in the tropical savannas of northern Australia. Daily spread was mapped using Moderate-resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) satellite imagery with a resolution of 250 m. We sampled points along the boundary of the fires and 1 km inside the boundary and compared conditions between the two sets. Using a combination of binomial regression and regression tree analysis, we found that recent burn scars (from the same year) were very effective at stopping fires. Where there was any recent burning within 500 m of a point, there was a 92% likelihood that it was a boundary. Interruptions such as roads, rivers and topography had small but significant effects. Vegetation type and vegetation greenness also had minor effects. Weather had a small effect via wind speed. This minor role of weather was reinforced by the fact that on most days the fires were both spreading and stopping at different parts of their perimeter. In these savannas, the weather in the late dry season is relatively invariant and is probably always conducive to some degree of fire spread. Here, interruptions to the fuel are critical to stopping fires. Nevertheless, for approximately half of boundary cases, the cause of stopping was not clear. This is probably due to the coarse scale of the analysis that does not reflect fine patterns of fuel arrangements.

Short-Term Influence of Fire on Herbaceous Composition, Diversity and Grass Biomass Production in Semi-Arid Savanna Woodland in Windhoek, Namibia

A comparative study on short term influence of fire on herbaceous composition and grass biomass production was conducted in a semi-arid savanna woodland in Windhoek, to assess differences in herbaceous composition and grass biomass production after a late dry season fire. The study revealed that herbaceous composition and grass cover differ significantly between the burned and unburned areas. Grass cover differed significantly (p< 0.001) between the burned and unburned areas. Fire removes aging grass materials, growth inhibitors and moribund hence, enhancing the vitality grasses. There were no significant differences in species richness (t = -1.402, p > 0.05), species diversity (t = -1.391, df = 28, p > 0.05), grass biomass production (t = 1.724, p > 0.05) and forb densities (t = 0.361, p > 0.05) between the burned and unburned areas..The study findings suggested that short term fire does have a significant impact on grass cover and herbaceous dominance and insignificant impact on grass biomass production, forb densities, species richness and diversity in short term, but fire impact on these plant attributes also depend on the intensity of fire and time frame.

Fire and Grazing Change Herbaceous Species Composition and Reduce Beta Diversity in the Kalahari Sand System

After rainfall and soils, fire and herbivory are two of the main determinants of savanna ecosystems. Although the interactive effects of fire and herbivores on soil and vegetation are widely acknowledged few studies have addressed these two factors in concert, and none of the studies has focused on the Kalahari sand system. We experimentally studied how annual late dry season fires and grazing affect herbaceous plant species composition, above- and belowground biomass, and soil and grass nutrient concentrations in the nutrient-poor semi-arid Kalahari system in northern Botswana. Four treatments (fire, grazing, fire + grazing, and no-fire–no-grazing) were applied for two consecutive years in the late dry season. Plant species composition was affected by treatment and year. The no-fire–no-grazing treatment was distinctly different from all the other treatments in terms of species composition. Beta diversity was lower on the fire treatment and grazing treatment, but not where fire and grazing were combined. Fire and grazing alone or in combination did not have a substantial effect on biomass, soil and plant nutrients or plant species alpha diversity. Plant nitrogen was the only element that differed between treatments, with high concentrations on all the grazed treatments in the first year and low levels on the fire-alone treatment during the second year. The results show that fire and grazing mainly affect species composition and large-scale biodiversity patterns as indicated by the no-fire–no-grazing treatment being distinctly different from other treatments, suggesting the evolutionary adaptation of this dystrophic Kalahari sand system to herbivory and fire.

Direct measurements of the seasonality of emission factors from savanna fires in northern Australia

Current good practice guidelines for national greenhouse gas inventories requires that seasonal variation in emission factors from savanna fires be considered when compiling national accounts. African studies concluded that the emission factor for methane decreases during the dry season principally due to curing of the fuels. However, available data from Australian tropical savannas shows no effect of seasonality on emission factors, consistent with observations that the fine fuels appear to cure fully soon after the start of the fire season. To test whether the seasonality in greenhouse gas emission factors reported for Africa also occurs in Australia, methane and nitrous oxide emission factors were measured in early and in late dry season fires in Western Arnhem Land, a region typical of much of the northern Australia savanna zone. We found no significant seasonality in methane emission factors, but there was substantial variation in emission factors associated with inter‐fire differences in vegetation and fuel. This variation could be explained almost completely by combustion efficiency. Nitrous oxide emission factors were not related to combustion efficiency but showed some variation across vegetation and fuel size class. Both methane and nitrous oxide emission factors were consistent with previous work in northern Australia and with some published values from Africa. The absence of a significant seasonal trend in emission factors indicates that savanna fire emissions in northern Australia can be managed by strategic prescribed burning.

The influence of prescribed fire on the extent of wildfire in savanna landscapes of western Arnhem Land, Australia

Fire regimes in many north Australian savanna regions are today characterised by frequent wildfires occurring in the latter part of the 7-month dry season. A fire management program instigated from 2005 over 24 000 km2 of biodiversity-rich Western Arnhem Land aims to reduce the area and severity of late dry-season fires, and associated greenhouse gas emissions, through targeted early dry-season prescribed burning. This study used fire history mapping derived mostly from Landsat imagery over the period 1990–2009 and statistical modelling to quantify the mitigation of late dry-season wildfire through prescribed burning. From 2005, there has been a reduction in mean annual total proportion burnt (from 38 to 30%), and particularly of late dry-season fires (from 29 to 12.5%). The slope of the relationship between the proportion of early-season prescribed fire and subsequent late dry-season wildfire was ~–1. This means that imposing prescribed early dry-season burning can substantially reduce late dry-season fire area, by direct one-to-one replacement. There is some evidence that the spatially strategic program has achieved even better mitigation than this. The observed reduction in late dry-season fire without concomitant increase in overall area burnt has important ecological and greenhouse gas emissions implications. This efficient mitigation of wildfire contrasts markedly with observations reported from temperate fire-prone forested systems.

Seasonal variation in fire temperature and influence on soil CO2 efflux, root biomass, and soil water properties in a Sudanian savanna - woodland, West Africa

Savanna ecosystems are shaped mainly by fires, the consequences of which depend on both their intensities and the season in which they occur. The effects of fire disturbance on key soil parameters are still largely unknown, yet the knowledge of those effects are crucial to our understanding and management of savanna ecosystems. This study was aimed at determining seasonal variations in fire temperature and the influence of fire on soil respiration, root biomass, and soil water infiltration. It was conducted on long-term experimental plots established in 2006 in the savanna–woodland of Burkina Faso. Four fire treatments were applied: no fire, early fire, mid dry-season fire, and late dry-season fire. The results indicated that the average maximum temperature and the residence time of the lethal temperature varied significantly (P &lt; 0.05) depending on the season of fire occurrence, the location of the soil probe, and the interaction between these two factors. The duration of heating above the critical temperature threshold was generally longest at ground level. The season in which fire occurred significantly (P ≤ 0.001) affected soil respiration, soil root biomass, and soil water infiltration. In conclusion, although fire can be used as a management tool in the savanna, the effects of fire on soil should be considered.

MODIS time series as a tool for monitoring fires and their effects on savanna bird diversity

In this study, we aimed to explore the effect of fires on bird diversity in Australia’s tropical savannas. Bird surveys were conducted at 69 sites between 2005 and 2007 to estimate bird species richness and abundance within the Mornington Sanctuary, the Kimberley, north-west Australia. We used MODIS (Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer) and Landsat satellite imagery to map fire scars and to quantify vegetation cover parameters, and QuickBird imagery to map the percentage tree cover. Bird species richness and abundance were higher in areas exhibiting minimum seasonal and interannual changes, e.g. in riparian areas, near water and where tree cover was high. We found a significant negative effect of fire on bird diversity following the extensive late dry-season fires of 2006. These findings support the view that intense and large fires are threatening biodiversity and reinforce the importance of reducing the occurrence of late dry-season fires, which are the most severe and extensive. MODIS satellite imagery was found to provide a cost-effective approach to monitoring savanna landscapes, assessing the state of vegetation and monitoring fire dynamics.