Open AccessConservation of Earth’s biodiversity is embedded in Indigenous fire stewardship
Author(s) -
Kira M. Hoffman,
Esq Davis,
Sara Wickham,
Kyle Schang,
Alexandra K. Johnson,
Taylor Larking,
Patrick Lauriault,
Nhu Quynh Le,
Emily Swerdfager,
Andrew J. Trant
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
proceedings of the national academy of sciences of the united states of america
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1091-6490
pISSN - 0027-8424
DOI - 10.1073/pnas.2105073118
Subject(s) - biodiversity , biome , stewardship (theology) , indigenous , geography , fire regime , habitat , ecology , vegetation (pathology) , fire ecology , disturbance (geology) , agroforestry , environmental resource management , environmental science , ecosystem , biology , political science , politics , law , medicine , paleontology , pathology
Significance Large and severe wildfires are becoming increasingly common worldwide and are having extraordinary impacts on people and the species and ecosystems on which they depend. Indigenous peoples comprise only 5% of the world’s population but protect approximately 85% of the world’s biodiversity through stewardship of Indigenous-managed lands. Much of this is attributed to long-term and widespread relationships with and dependence on fire, which has been applied as a tool for managing landscapes for millennia. Fortunately, the revitalization of Indigenous fire stewardship is demonstrating the value of routinely applying controlled fire to adapt to changing environments while promoting desired landscapes, habitats, and species and supporting subsistence practices and livelihoods.