CANBERRA, Jan. 16 (Xinhua) -- An expert has called for a bushfire demarcation line to be established in South Australia to identify high-risk areas not suitable for human habitation.
Sukhbir Sandhu, an expert in sustainability from the University of South Australia (UniSA), recently said Australia should establish a "fire-line" similar to SA's existing Goyder Line of rainfall, which maps areas unsuitable for planting crops.
About 10 million hectares of land have been burned, more than 2,000 homes destroyed and at least 28 people have lost their lives in Australia's ongoing bushfire crisis.
Sandhu said that the devastation has been so immense that governments at all levels must identify strategies to fire-proof communities for the future before they start to re-build.
"The frequency and intensity of bushfires in Australia have changed dramatically over the past decade - our fire season is longer, the fires are more brutal, and the fallout is extensive," she said in a media release.
"Accordingly, Australia's responses to the fires must change too.
"The current bushfires have destroyed the livelihoods of far too many people to be remedied by standard recovery and rebuilding strategies. And, as fires continue to burn into residential areas, governments must consider something more ground-breaking in recovery.
"It's time for policymakers to take a strong stand where it is safe for communities to rebuild, and a fire demarcation line could help achieve this."
She said that the line could be drawn using Country Fire Service (CFS) aerial footage, satellite imagery and models used by insurance companies that identify areas most at risk from fires.
Under Sandhu's proposal areas adjacent to the demarcation line would be subject to compulsory bushfire-resistant construction guidelines.
