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Published
July 23, 2018 10:07:39
Photo:
Aboriginal Rangers are not aiming to directly fight fires, but rather to change their course and manage their impact. (ABC Goldfields: Tom Joyner)
In the heart of Western Australia, far from the big cities or even small towns, mbadive wildfires cross the deserts during the warmest months [19659005]. Sydney-sized cases – have often been caused by lightning strikes in the spring and summer and have long been part of the natural landscape of far-off Australia.
A bush fire near Perth or Melbourne could cause millions of dollars. But Aboriginal forest rangers and fire management experts warned that fires were spreading more and burning more fiercely than before, and they were becoming a serious threat to the public. The solution, they say, is a resumption of traditional methods of fire management used by indigenous peoples for thousands of years before the arrival of Europeans
"Fire is special because peoples When they burn [the land] the plants and animals come and grow, because the green grbad will grow and the animals will come, "said Ethan Hansen, an Aboriginal guard from Tjuntjuntjara, in the south-east of State of Washington
Photo:
Native rangers met at a conference organized by the Indigenous Desert Alliance at Credo Station last month. (ABC Goldfields: Tom Joyner)
"He keeps the Earth's balance when the ancients lived there, that's what they did."
Mr. Hansen and his Rangers team at Spinifex Land Management consults with community elders to plan the implementation of small strategic burns that will hinder large fires.
The goal is not to fight directly fires with water or other fire-retardant products, but "" This involves a lot of planning, where we sit with the seniors and decide where to burn, it is about protecting the country, "said Hansen
.
"Some Aboriginal rangers and fire management experts feel that they have been fighting a difficult battle."
"Some of the bush fires we have in central Australia and in The center of Australia are among the most important. world – some reach 3 or 4 million acres Neil Burrows of the Department of Parks and Wildlife of Western Australia
Photo:
A satellite image taken over 22 days in 2012 and 2013 shows a composite of bushfires lit in WA. (Source: NASA)
Dr. Burrows, who has long studied the impact and management of wildfires, said that large-scale fires have a devastating impact on biodiversity, particularly in combination with wild predators. People in urbanized areas of Australia have no idea that these fires occur because they are in remote areas far from population centers – far from the eyes, away from the heart. "
Chris Curnow of Rangelands NRM, WA Land The Health Care Organization said that there was a turning point in the 20th century, when many Aboriginal people were displaced from their traditional lands [19659005] which left the regions unattended by traditional techniques that kept the landscape in balance. "The people who traveled the country kept alive this patchwork of fire, which had been lacking since 1945."
Photo:
Aboriginal ranger Ethan Hansen consults with community elders to plan smaller strategic burns on his lands. (ABC Goldfields: Tom Joyner)
"It is certain that when people were driven out of the country and that there was less public investment to bring back [traditional techniques] to these regions from the country we see much more devastating and long … burning [fires] and just [on a] larger scale. "
Mr. Curnow said that the scale and destruction of modern fires in the desert areas of WA had increased in recent decades, and that rangers were now struggling to catch up.
" We have saw a change in the fire regimes, and now we are chasing after that to try to bring back. "
" That's what the intent is among the groups in the desert who are trying to do [traditional techniques] "
" This has happened recently in other areas where we can see that the whole country has just been burned, "said Mr. Hansen
Aboriginal Rangers
Native Ranger Groups from WA, Northern Territory, and South Australia shared its fire management expertise at a conference last month in Credo St
Craig Sailor, a ranger of the Kanyirninpa Jukurrpa Guards Program in the Pil Region Bara in Washington, spoke about his pride for the work he's doing
"My favorite part is going to take care of my grandfather's country because I love my grandfather , and I live in this region, "said Mr. Sailor.
"Once a month, I go in the helicopter and press the button. They are like a little tablet and put it down, "he added, referring to the method used by his team to use small firelighters.
Earlier this year, the Government of Western Australia announced $ 8.5 million for 13 Aboriginal ranger programs in the state, 85 new jobs and 80 training positions. He said native guards were at the forefront of remote fire management in much of the country
"There are all kinds of good environmental, cultural, social and biodiversity reasons. really important bush fires and go back to what the traditional owners were doing years ago, "said Dr. Burrows.
" We can not go back to how that was done we can always have the same effect by reducing the impact of these big bush fires by combining traditional burning techniques with modern technology. "
Topics:
indigenous culture,
fires,
kalgoorlie-6430,
NT
Washington,
Australia,
her
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