On the west of the Stuart Highway is a patchwork burn. To the east is a 2m-hectare blanket burn. The difference is largely due to Indigenous fire regimes.
Bushfire in the eastern Barkly region was downgraded over the weekend to an active blaze, but the 2-million-hectare fire scar provides a snapshot into the impact on landscapes with and without Indigenous fire management.
The Barkly blaze is one of many burning in the Northern Territory at the beginning of a fire season projected to be the territory’s worst since 2011. With predictions that as much as 80% of the territory is set to burn, it’s instructive to see the efficacy of Indigenous fire management.
“Compare the eastern side of the highway to the west where fire hasn’t run rampant in the same way,” Indigenous Desert Alliance partnerships manager Gareth Catt told Crikey. “You can see in mapping on NAFI [North Australia Fire Information] a lot of burning done in April, March, May, June on the western Tanami side. That is what’s impeding the spread of some of those fires.”
Read more about the efficacy of Indigenous fire management.
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