Student researcher

Belinda Young Research Leader

As climate change is predicted to increase the intensity and frequency of wildfires, preventing the 80-95% of wildfires caused by humans is paramount. In California (USA) and Victoria (Australia), wildfire management strategies have involved varying degrees of collaborative input from local peri‐urban communities to address the wildfire risks. However, community/agency collaboration has mostly focused on preparedness and response activities with limited attention given to the prevention of the ignition itself. By comparing wildfire prevention approaches in California and Victorian and involving agencies, real and virtual world communities, this research will examine whether a shared sense of responsibility between stakeholders can be fostered in online communities to prevent human caused wildfires.