Institute Manager speaks to ABC about importance of cultural burning
Institute Manager, Aurora Milroy, recently joined the Drum to discuss the 2019-2020 bushfire season and recovery efforts in Australia. When asked about what people could learn from Indigenous people when it comes to bushfire management, Aurora spoke on the role of cultural burning in bushfire prevention:
“Cultural burning is really about a holistic caring for Country approach that traditional owners take. It’s about agencies [and] communities listening to traditional owners and providing access and ability for Indigenous people to care for Country… There’s no coincidence that Indigenous peoples are the longest continuing culture on this planet. We have the key to what is the sustainability and survival of this planet but we need to be listened to.”
The Institute recently announced Associate-Professor Michael-Shawn Fletcher as Director of Research Capability. Michael-Shawn is a geographer with a focus on long-term interactions between humans and climate with a key focus on fire and cultural burning.
Watch the full episode of the Drum here, or read more the Institute’s work with cultural burning here.