Where does Indigenous Fire and Land management knowledge fit in the fire debate.

Photo Barry J Hunter

Being someone who has a keen interest in fire management as a land manager, a cultural fire practitioner and rural fire volunteer. The debates raging online under various hashtags of the Australian bush fires have been mesmerising, particularly over the last few days. Indeed it has got me active on Twitter again after being inactive for a few years and also to out this blog together.

Of course as a result of my background through the raging debates, I particular kept an eye out for mentions of Indigenous fire knowledge or land management practices. Upon closer inspection I didn't have to look to far to find a number of mentions. For example in a 10 minute window on Twitter I found tweets from individuals confounded by the lack of credence payed to Indigenous knowledge as it applies to fire and land management, or how the landscape has suffered as a result of ignoring this knowledge, consequently leading to this situation. 

There where other  similar comments  and as reading these I become compelled provide and interpretation as means of having some meaning to these points. That key question of what does this mean? Associated with the second questions, would Indigenous knowledge have made a difference if applied in comprehensive manner to the disaster we are witnessing now? Sadly we will never fully know, while not wanting to dodge the second part of the question I  though it would be pertinent t answer the first.  Indeed there are aspects of this questions that we do know, while others we. do not and exploring may help in dissecting in order to find understanding. My task in this was to look at relevant expertise in a variety of fields that have posed this questions and see if there are answers within those views. 

Professor of Environmental Change Biology at the University of Tasmania - David Bowman outlines that there are two 'broad' views relating to Indigenous fire knowledge from the "One, popularised by Tim Flannery, stresses the ecologically disruptive impact of Aboriginal fire use. Flannery argues that that the megafauna extinctions that immediately followed human colonisation in the ice age resulted in a ramping up of fire activity. This then led to the spread of flammable vegetation which now fuels bushfires. The other view, promoted by Bill Gammage, suggests that the biodiverse landscapes that were colonised by the British were the direct product of skilful and sustained fire usage. Bowman goes further to say, "such broad-brush accounts give the impression that the specific details of Aboriginal fire usage are well- known and can be generalised across the entire continent. Sadly this is not the case". 

This view outlined by Professor Bowman clearly shows that there is a body of knowledge there and practices, particularly in northern Australia, however he does argue that this knowledge has been diminished as result of colonisation process. I want to specifically deal with his last sentence later in this article but for now other examples of views on Indigenous knowledge. Importantly,  the reason I put this quote in was to show that there have been some 'considerations' within the science community of the benefit, extent and even the application of Indigenous fire knowledge as a management tool. Does this consideration add up to incorporation as a tool in land management? 

Victor Steffensen labels himself as a Indigenous Fire Practitioner. He has been studying, recording and sharing knowledge on Indigenous fire for good part of 28 years having spent time with Elders who had been kind enough to entrust him with their gift of knowledge. These elders practiced and applied their knowledge in the middle of Cape York in the north of the country. In an article to the Saturday Paper Victor shared with Author Romy Ash that "when he was a young man he lived for 15 years in Laura on Cape York, learning from two elders. He started filming on a camcorder, recording what he describes as an incredibly complex “map of knowledge”. It was here, with the elders, he lit his first fire, illegally. “No one would give us a permit.” He watched the fire do exactly what the elders said it would, and in the coming months after the fire he saw the land renew itself, the return of native grasses, the return of missing animals". Certainly to the question I posed above about including Indigenous knowledge, Victor saw the value of the knowledge and experienced first hand the results when the knowledge was implemented. But was it valued by land management agencies or. though making policy positions on use of fire? There are many parts to the answer to this questions some which your are seeing a result of today.

Peta Marie Standley who has dedicated her time to this (and other broader) question by undertaking a PHD in this subject outlines that "By supporting this methodology the survival of cultural knowledge is ensured through traditional transfer on country within and between communities; providing an Indigenous methodology to inspire communities to engage and develop themselves. It also provides the opportunity to demonstrate and apply traditional practices that have the ability to innovate and contribute to contemporary management solutions; demonstrating the values of traditional knowledge to the broader community." (Standley 2009). In this explanation she is demonstrating that the knowledge can have application more to the point its should be transferred and applied and can innovate through its contribution to contemporary management. 

The Firesticks organisation has over the last few years been established for the specific purpose of finding answers. to these questions this network of Indigenous  land managers haver a particular focus on cultural burning methodology building body of knowledge and changing government  policy focus. https://www.firesticks.org.au 

They have develop a management planning kit that incorporates consultation, habitat identification, planing process, though their Fire Planning Guide and Fire Management Template. the initial purpose of this resource was to '...build recognition and awareness of the diversity and complexity of fire in NSW and its intrinsic link to caring for country. Firesticks provides a platform to support landholders to access resources, support and training, advocacy for ongoing funding on a local and national scale, and to share their experiences with others about the work they’re doing. This guide has been developed from our collective experience in working collaboratively with Indigenous Protected Areas (IPAs) and Aboriginal Owned Lands in NSW. The planning process can be adopted by all landholders who have an interest in managing their property for biodiversity and cultural values. We also note that fire is only one tool at our disposal and in tackling many of the land management issues in New South Wales (NSW) it may be wise to use a variety of techniques to achieve the best outcomes" FireSticks (2011).

In short to answer the questions I posed earlier about if Indigenous knowledge has a role to play I hope I haver demonstrated through these few examples that there is a role, though that is up to the reader to further research and interpret on their own. I have the benefit of nearly 30 years of experience in this area and have seen examples or circumstance where knowledge has been integrated into broader management. I say this in a qualified manner, indeed the research that had been undertaken by Peta-Marie Standley and her joint collaborators Dr George Musgrave and Dr Tommy George is one of limited examples that i'm aware of that have been jointly Indigenous lead in terms of Indigenous Fire Knowledge and lead to those to Elders who had shared so much of this knowledge with Victor Steffensen recognised for their knowledge. Some of which is being adopted into management with government agencies. Indigenous knowledge has some of the answers but so does science and the approach being taken by agencies such as rural fires services in all of the states.

Cramer in her 2019 article provides a quote that summaries my thoughts when she quotes Gareth Catt when he says “If we can draw on traditional knowledge [and] science and combine that with contemporary [fire] practice, we can have a really positive effect on broad areas of the landscape, which are otherwise being completely neglected,”. 

Back to the question of incorporation of knowledge, I think I have demonstrated through these examples, importantly I don't want to deal with the broader question of would it had made a difference, that one is an emotive and indeed deals with to many "what ifs". Suffice to say that as we move on past this stage the repercussions relating to management of land will have substantially more focus in order to prevent this happening again. I won't deal with the broader questions about coordination of the myriad of management jurisdictions and approaches I only want to add that the question of Indigenous Knowledge incorporation into the management approach needs to be considered, deliberate and relevant. they need to find the appropriate people and bring out a voice to what some like Victor have been saying for a long time. There needs to be real commitment and real outcomes in order to ensure what we are seeing today is not repeated. 

I know some maybe saying that this is a northern Australia thing where some Aboriginals  have been continuously burning for millennia. Though this is not the case  Cramer (2019) Points out that "The rekindling of traditional fire practice is not just happening in the remote landscapes of the center and north of Australia. In the more populated and rural states in the south and east, Indigenous communities are coming together to revive their traditional fire knowledge, despite generations of their ancestors being prevented from practicing it.". 

The Firesticks organsation have taken the National indigenous Fire Workshops national over the past few years, the last two have been held in Nowra in NSW and Barmah Forest on the Murray River border of Victoria and NSW. This has shown a steady increase in the level of Cultural Fire Practitioners growing in the southern states. Consequently there have been a distinct uptake on the involvement of Government Agencies in these workshops and this involvement has seen commitments from government to these causes. Certainly the Department of Environment Land Water Planning in Victoria and Rural Fires made significant commitment and involvement to the Barmah fire workshops in 2019. So to the Rural Fire service NSW and NSW Parks and WildLife to the Nowra Fire workshop in 2018. So there has been some change in government involvement. 

It is on this note that I want to revisit the comment from Professor Bowman (2016) "such broad-brush accounts give the impression that the specific details of Aboriginal fire usage are well- known and can be generalised across the entire continent. Sadly this is not the case". There is a body of knowledge, it is known and it is shared and it is growing. Yes this knowledge may have been held by a few but it is being shared. 

Over there past few years I have attended a number of the Cape York and National Indigenous Fire Workshops and I have witness this knowledge being applied and shared, and not just in Indigenous communities but. wide range of fire practitioners. I have worked in and attended a number Carbon farming lead workshops where in closing I will use the words of a great cultural fire Practitioner Dean Yirabuk when he commented on the benefits of being people together to talk fire across northern Australia at a workshop in 2016 in Darwin. Dean outlines  that”Forums like this, sharing ideas between our own people, working out ways happening round the country, good to see southern people coming in sharing information, we have come a long way with our traditional practices, a key element of how country is being looked after, it is a tool that should still be carried on, even though parks put knowledge for burning country, we over-ride it because fire is the only tool for making health of our land, our environment, our people. Great to meet, good to catch up again with you guys, we are going forward.”Dean Yibarbuk, Warddeken Land Management in Robinson et al. 2016. 

I also people to click on the video link below to some additional information that some may find interesting.

Thanks for taking the time to read, much appreciated.

The 13th National Indigenous Fire Workshop will be held on my traditional country near Cairns in June 2020. Please keep an eye on this blog space and https://www.firesticks.org.au for further information.

Barry J Hunter

https://vimeo.com/270076279 

References 

Bowman D 2016 in the Conversation - Aboriginal Fire Management - part of the solution to destructive bush fires. Pub February 23 2016 
https://www.dumbofeather.com/conversations/victor-steffensen-listens-to-the-land/

Cramer V, 2019 Climate Change is Fueling wild fires around the world. Can Indigenous Knwloldge Help Us manage them. https://ensia.com/features/indigenous-knowledge-wildfires-australia/

FireSticks https://www.firesticks.org.au - Fire Planning Guide and Fire Management Template. 

Robinson et.al 2016 Report on the Indigenous Fire knowledge and Fire Management Forum - Building Practical Experiences Darwin Northern territory 9th 10th February 2016

Standly P, 2009 TKRP KTFMRP “The Importance of Campfires to Effective Conservation Communication”