Dr Diana Kuchinke’s PhD monitored birds on 84 sites across western Victorian woodlands and determined the common species driving assemblage patterns on sites of differing fire ages and fire histories. Her research investigated predictions of fire impact and severity on birds using generalised linear mixed models based on a before-after-control-impact design.
Diana developed an effective tool in adaptive management to predict the trends of common forest birds, as surrogates for entire bird communities, not just for fire responses, but for a broader reflection on the health of the landscape. Key findings centre around the Laughing Kookaburra, which is in decline along Australia’s east coast. Diana found that kookaburras prefer unburnt vegetation and how their numbers drop in abundance quite markedly in landscapes that have dense post-fire regrowth vegetation. This has major implications when bushfires and prescribed burns across the Australian landscape are increasing in frequency, severity and extent.
Diana runs her own business, Kuchinke Management Group, and lectures at Federation University.