Indigenous expertise is reducing bushfires in northern Australia It s time to consider similar approaches for other disasters architectureanddesign.com.au - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from architectureanddesign.com.au Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Andrew Edwards Willie Rioli Sr Fire Coordinator for the Tiwi Islands, Indigenous Knowledge
Fire risk reduction in the recent past included very local prescribed burning operations. The overall effect was small, with huge greenhouse gas emissions from out-of-control savanna wildfires.
So, what might a better approach look like?
Our team at the Charles Darwin University’s Darwin Centre for Bushfire Research has been working with Indigenous land managers, conservation, research and government organisations in northern Australia for the last 25 years to find more effective ways to manage wildfires.
These collaborations have led to a new approach, blending modern scientific knowledge with traditional Indigenous land management practices to reduce bushfire risk.
Disclosure statement
Kamaljit K Sangha works for the Darwin Centre for Bushfire Research at Charles Darwin University. We acknowledge the Bushfire and Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Centre (BNHCRC) support to fund our project on, Building Resilience of remote Indigenous Communities that included evaluating real costs and benefits of natural disasters, conducting workshops with Indigenous partners and scenario planning exercises with a wide range of stakeholders across the north (emergency management personnel, Indigenous communities, researchers, and various local organisations).
Andrew Edwards works for the Darwin Centre for Bushfire Research at Charles Darwin University. He receives funding from various organisations such as the Bushfire & Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Centre, to map fires and vegetation and has worked on the development of the Savanna Burning methodology with a very large group of people.