The Nature Conservancy
Indigenous communities are helping to protect biodiversity and prevent major bushfires across northern Australia’s vast savanna woodlands by using a combination of traditional and modern fire management methods. This greatly reduces the greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere each year. We are supporting The Nature Conservancy’s work with Indigenous fire managers to increase the scale and effectiveness of their actions, build carbon offset markets to generate revenue, and strengthen communities that are leading the way in sustainable land management.
natureaustralia.org.au | Partner since 2021
Challenge
Australia’s northern savanna woodlands are one of the most naturally fire-prone landscapes in the world. For millennia, Indigenous Australians have used small, managed fires in the cooler months to prevent much larger wildfires breaking out in the dry season, and the native flora and fauna have evolved to adapt. But European colonisation and climate change have disrupted this balance, leading to increasingly violent, often devastating fires that release vast amounts of greenhouse gases in a vicious circle of global heating.
Response
The Nature Conservancy assists Indigenous communities across northern Australia to reclaim their role as custodians of the land by helping build their capacity to combine traditional ecological knowledge and cultural practices with cutting-edge fire science. The resultant land management rejuvenates the ecosystem and prevents devastating wildfires, helping a diverse array of species to thrive while measurably reducing the volume of greenhouse gases released into the atmosphere each year. The Nature Conservancy also assists these communities to address systemic, intergenerational issues stemming from colonial practices and to secure long-term support, so they can increase the scale and effectiveness of their work, and improve their access to carbon offset markets, enabling them to grow sustainable income from their efforts.
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