Indigenous Australians say traditional land burning could help counter bushfires

Asbushfiresengulf parts of southeastern Australia,indigenousAustralianssaytheirtraditionallandburningmethodscouldhelpcontain out-of-control blazes that have led to the worst wildfire season on record.

Hundreds of wildfires in Australia have killed 29 people since September, as well as an estimated 1 billion animals while incinerating 2,500 homes and a total area of bushlandone-third the size of Germany.

Jacob Morris, a 28-year-oldindigenousman, has conducted fire workshops to teachtraditionallandmanagement ways, and believes that a lot of Australia's griefcouldhave been avoided by using what is known as "cultural" or "coolburning".

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To revitalise thelandfor farming or hunting purposes, the practice involves lighting low-intensity fires to burn off bushland.

On some privately heldlandnear the bushfire hit town of Nowra, about 150 kilometers (93 miles) south of Sydney, areas wheretraditionalburninghad been used were greener and less affected by thebushfires, according to Morris.

"When we light the fire we actually walk with it," Morris said, as he showed Reuters how it was done on a patch of grass, adding that the lie of thelandand wind direction were key factors to consider because they affected a fire's intensity.

Usually, the fire is controllable and burns for a short period of time, whichhelps to prevent future fires or at least, slows down their rate of spread, Morris said.

The same ways are practiced byindigenousgroups across the globe, said Jordan Profeit, a Yukon first nation fireman visiting Australia from Canada on a knowledge exchange program.

Australia's rural fire service and otherlandmanagement organisations have begun to consult withindigenousgroups as part of theirburningregimes. But calls are rising for moreindigenousoversight of fires andlandmanagement.

David Bowman, a professor of fire science at the University of Tasmania, said: "culturalburning" tended to be used for smallholdings, whereas fire services conducted hazard reductionburningoperations on a larger scale.

Ultimately, he said, the choice of method would come down to funding.

"On publicland, the government has a budget," Bowman said. "Give them a different budget and you can get a different outcome."