The protection of wulo, one of the ten key targets identified in the plan, is largely dependent on the work that Uunguu Rangers are doing to reinstate traditional fire management practices.
In effect, they are using ‘right-way fire’ to safeguard against the most damaging aspects of wildfire: their size and their ferocity.
“Our ancestors used right-way fire from generation-to-generation”, says Neil Waina, Uunguu Head Ranger. “They passed their knowledge to us and we will pass it down to the next generation.”
Neil says his people feel good doing these burns because they return the country to good health. But late dry season burns, or wildfires, are different.
“When you see late season burning, the country isn’t looking good. If there’s a hot fire, hardly anything will grow in that area... No hunting, no life.”
Since 2011, Uunguu Rangers with support from Bush Heritage have more than halved the number of late dry-season wildfires on Wunambal Gaambera country compared to the period from 2000 to 2009, when no traditional burning methods were in place. This has been achieved through combining fire walks with aerial fire drops over less accessible regions.
Tom Vigilante, Wunambal Gaambera Healthy Country Manager, says Stefania’s research will help the Uunguu Rangers conduct their fire management more conscientiously.
“Now that the rainforests have been mapped, we can actually have their locations in front of us on a tablet when rangers are doing aerial burning in the helicopter,” he says.
“They can have the information right at their fingertips about where they are and how they might apply fire in that area to look after the rainforest.”
Speaking over the phone from her office at the University of Tasmania, Stefania reflects on what she’s learned about this landscape through her research.
Ultimately, she says, its past, present and future are all inextricably tied to the Wunambal Gaambera people.
“The country takes care of them, and they take care of country.”
Take action
This summer, wildfires will threaten many parts of Australia. Bush Heritage is expanding its fire management program to mitigate that risk.
Donate today to protect vulnerable landscapes.