Indigenous Australians have managed land with fire for 11,000 years

The ancient history of Aboriginal people's use of fire to manage the landscape can be traced through the analysis of lake sediments. This longstanding tradition has been found to have benefits for biodiversity.

Indigenous Australians have a long history of managing the environment with fire, dating back at least 11,000 years. They used controlled burning to make movement and hunting easier, while also benefiting certain plants and animals and reducing the risk of dangerous wildfires. Michael Bird's analysis suggests that reverting to Indigenous fire management practices could help mitigate the risk of catastrophic bushfires and improve overall environmental management. This historical practice has been challenging to study due to the seasonal drying of waterways, which typically destroys carbon in sediments.