Victor Steffensen: How burning could heal Australia
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Last year's Australian fire season was the worst on record, with 34 deaths, more than 3500 homes lost and billions of animals harmed. It also wasn't a surprise to Victor Steffensen, a specialist in indigenous fire management. He correctly saw the amount of vegetation on the land combined with the drying effects of climate change as a bomb waiting to go off. Victor believes the practice of cultural burning should be utilised more widely to reduce the threat of more catastrophic bushfires. The idea that fire can be used to prevent fire is challenging - but is based on generations of indigenous knowledge of "reading" and responding to land. Victor has written a memoir called Fire Country - How Indigenous Fire Management Could Help Save Australia.
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