As climate change intensifies wildfires worldwide, new research offers a compelling case for restoring Indigenous fire knowledge. The analysis of 1830s colonial journals shows how Western Tasmania has changed since fire management was taken away from the Aboriginal Palawa people. The University of Tasmania research found that, since cultural burning practices ended in the 19th century, the region’s vegetation-dense treeless areas have experienced an increasing number of bushfires.
In 2023, Tasmania’s Parks and Wildlife Service reintroduced a ‘Cultural Burning Policy’ aimed at returning fire authority to Aboriginal groups, to protect both the land and cultural values. While it may take years of monitoring to measure the benefits, a 2025 study in the journal ‘Fire’ found that Indigenous cultural burning delivers ecological benefits.
