Where is the evidence? Mapping the fire–biodiversity knowledge base of northern Australian savannas

Abstract

Fire shapes the biodiversity of tropical savannas, yet challenges exist in accessing and interpreting the breadth of fire-ecology evidence to support appropriate management. We compiled a comprehensive fire–biodiversity database for Australian tropical savannas to improve knowledge discovery and support the iterative development of fire-management principles. Using systematic thematic synthesis, we mapped evidence on fire–biodiversity relationships across contemporary science and Traditional Knowledge (TK). Publication metadata were extracted, standardised and classified using a large language model (LLM)-assisted workflow, then manually reviewed and cross-validated against an independently curated subset. LLM-assisted extraction performed comparably to human extraction, but only with careful parameterisation and quality control. The database spans 382 publications from the Australian savanna biome. The evidence base is dominated by terrestrial flora (≈51%) and studies of mixed-element fire regimes (≈28%), fire frequency (≈17%) and time since fire (≈17%). Partnerships with Indigenous organisations or entities were reported in ≈23% of publications, but only 22 explicitly incorporated TK or Indigenous partners as co-investigators. Evidence is geographically clustered and taxonomically uneven, revealing clear knowledge gaps. Our thematic synthesis map and accompanying database provide a platform to inform culturally grounded, evidence-based fire management and highlight future research priorities.