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Managing fire on Country: Traditional burning in contemporary land management
Fitzroy Basin Association – the regional NRM organisation for Central Queensland – has supported local Aboriginal people to manage fire on Country by facilitating 10 Indigenous Fire traineeships

With the support of the Australian Government’s Regional Land Partnerships Program, Fitzroy Basin Association, otherwise known as FBA, collaborated with Queensland Fire and Emergency Services and Darambul Elders to share knowledge on Country for 10 Indigenous trainees.

Through the partnership, 10 trainees – Darumbal and Gaangulu people – were put through their paces, spending four days in the classroom hearing from QFES personnel as well as sharing their own experiences of technical and practical methods of fire management.

Indigenous fire ecology training is critical to modern day land management, because First Nations people hold thousands of years of knowledge around fire management in the landscape and how to sustain the important species found on their Country.

Through this program, held in 2021, First Nations trainees get the right training to go out and do burning in a legitimate way following all the laws and methods for that type of practice. The program ensures people have the right equipment as well as the right credentials to participate in burning practices across the region, and especially on their Country.

The Indigenous Fire Training Program also provided a unique opportunity for Traditional Custodians to share their knowledge of fire, with instruction on mosaic burning techniques, using fire to manage pasture, seasonal burning and the importance of monitoring burn frequency and intensity.

During the final day of upskilling and with the help of many volunteers and community groups, the 10 trainees headed out to Gawula, an important site for the Darumbal People to get their final hands-on experience and knowledge-sharing of burning in the bush.

Australia’s historical approach to fire management and past discussions around risk and hazard reduction have too often sidelined a more inclusive understanding of fire as an indispensable and constructive element within connected landscapes. Fitzroy Basin Association’s Indigenous Fire Training project has helped to extend both Traditional and contemporary knowledge of fire management across the region.

Watch the video from the training day at Gawula:

For more information, visit the website of Fitzroy Basin Association.