First Nations' Land Management and the Carbon Cycle Flashcards

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering First Nations' land management practices, the carbon cycle, Earth's spheres, and the methodology of scientific communication.

Firestick farming

A First Nations’ land management practice, also known as Cultural Burning, that has been in place for over $11,000$ years.

Cultural Burning

The practice of burning sections of the bush in the dry season to create a fire break and to reduce the understory fuel load.

Carbon sequestration

The process of gathering and storing carbon in an ecosystem, which can be estimated using data from a transect belt.

Scientific poster

A summary of research used to attract attention and present information in digestible chunks, ideally between $300-800$ words.

Biosphere

One of the four Earth’s spheres impacted by land management practices and bushfires; consisting of all living things.

Hydrosphere

One of the four Earth’s spheres relating to all the water on the planet.

Atmosphere

One of the four Earth’s spheres relating to the layer of gases surrounding the planet.

Geosphere

One of the four Earth’s spheres consisting of the solid parts of the Earth, such as rocks and landforms.

Peer review

The process where a scientific paper is evaluated by other scientists before it is released to the world.

Science (ACARA $2025$ definition)

A dynamic, collaborative, and creative human endeavour arising from a desire to make sense of the world through empirical investigation.

Black Summer

The name used for the $2019-2020$ bushfires in Australia that impacted all of Earth’s spheres.

Understory fuel load

The accumulation of vegetation and dry material beneath the main canopy that is reduced through Cultural Burning to prevent high-intensity fires.

Sustainability

The environmental management practice of maintaining and managing the environment around us to ensure its health for the future.

Fire break

A gap in vegetation or other combustible material that acts as a barrier to slow or stop the progress of a bushfire.

Empirical

A way of answering questions based on observation or experience rather than theory or pure logic.