The ethnohistorical and ethnographic interpretations of the seasonal pattern of traditional Aboriginal burning are in broad agreement and both are consistent with the fire management strategy now being advocated by me. That is, burning throughout the year maximizes habitat diversity and is the best policy for the maintenance of species in perpetuity, the main goal of nature conservation. However, for the details of how to carry this out in a contemporary landscape increasingly modified by exotic organisms and European culture, we require detailed biotic objectives and knowledge derived from well-designed, ecological experiments.