Fire management on Aboriginal lands in the top end of the Northern Territory, Australia

In the Top End of the Northern Territory many aboriginal groups continue to practise traditional management of fire despite a variety of impediments. There is a growing recognition of the positive effects of traditional burning regimes but many non-aboriginal settlers still regard aboriginal landscape burning as anarchic pyromania. This antipathy colours aboriginal perceptions of Government burning regulations and has led some communities to cease traditional burning, believing they may be jailed for lighting fires. The Northern Land Council's Caring for Country Unit helps landowners address fire problems and develop sustainable means of appropriate fire management through participatory planning processes, collaboration between aboriginal ecological experts and non-aboriginal scientists. The Unit also encourages utilisation of economic projects such mining, tourism and buffalo harvesting, to support traditional fire management and resettlement of unpopulated areas and to build capacity within and between aboriginal resource agencies concerned with land management. Future effective management will depend on finding an appropriate mix of aboriginal and non-aboriginal knowledge and technology and the resources to sustain application of that mix.