How can we ensure that policies not only recognize Indigenous rights but also provide the resources and capacity needed to exercise them effectively?
This was among the questions posed by CWI’s Impact Program Manager, Sarah Caldwell, at the Association for Fire Ecology's 4th Southwest Fire Ecology Conference this week. Her presentation – “Integrating Indigenous Knowledge and Western Science for Wildfire Resilience: Insights from the Climate & Wildfire Institute” – illustrated how The Stewardship Project (TSP) and other CWI initiatives are demonstrating the potential of partnerships that combine Indigenous knowledge and Western science to build wildfire and landscape resilience.
CWI Board Member and TSP co-lead Scott Stephens followed Caldwell’s remarks with an overview of “Realignment of Federal Policies to Recognize Fire’s Role” – a recent TSP article published in Fire Ecology that offers recommendations for the realignment of federal environmental policies to restore ecosystems and improve resilience across fire-prone landscapes.
Don Hankins, another TSP co-lead, also presented on “Indigenous Stewardship Rights and Opportunities to Recenter Indigenous Fire,” providing recommendations to support an Indigenous-centered approach to wildland stewardship.?
“Wildfires don’t stop at jurisdictional boundaries, and neither should our efforts to address them,” explains Caldwell during her remarks. “The challenges of wildfire are immense, but so are the opportunities to learn, grow, and collaborate.”
To learn more about The Stewardship Project, supported by CWI, visit: https://lnkd.in/guABKMqZ
#climateandwildfire #thestewardshipproject #indigenousstewardship #indigenousfire #indigenousknowledge #westernscience #wildfireresilience #landscaperesilience #afe #southwestfireecologyconference
