Conservation of Earth’s biodiversity is embedded in Indigenous fire stewardship

Abstract

Increasingly, severe wildfires have led to declines in biodiversity across all of Earth’s vegetated biomes [D. B. McWethy et al., Nat. Sustain. 2, 797–804 (2019)]. Unfortunately, the displacement of Indigenous peoples and place-based societies that rely on and routinely practice fire stewardship has resulted in significant declines in biodiversity and the functional roles of people in shaping pyrodiverse systems [R. Bliege Bird et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 117, 12904–12914 (2020)]. With the aim of assessing the impacts of Indigenous fire stewardship on biodiversity and species function across Earth’s major terrestrial biomes, we conducted a review of relevant primary data papers published from 1900 to present. We examined how the frequency, seasonality, and severity of human-ignited fires can improve or reduce reported metrics of biodiversity and habitat heterogeneity as well as changes to species composition across a range of taxa and spatial and temporal scales. A total of 79% of applicable studies reported increases in biodiversity as a result of fire stewardship, and 63% concluded that habitat heterogeneity was increased by the use of fire. All studies reported that fire stewardship occurred outside of the window of uncontrollable fire activity, and plants (woody and nonwoody vegetation) were the most intensively studied life forms. Three studies reported declines in biodiversity associated with increases in the use of high-severity fire as a result of the disruption of Indigenous-controlled fire regimes with the onset of colonization. Supporting Indigenous-led fire stewardship can assist with reviving important cultural practices while protecting human communities from increasingly severe wildfires, enhancing biodiversity, and increasing ecosystem heterogeneity.

Burn Severity in Canada's Mountain National Parks: Patterns, Drivers, and Predictions

“…A comprehensive understanding of burn severity pattern is essential for fire‐related ecological research, such as the assessment of post‐fire vegetation responses and soil structure changes (e.g., Crotteau et al., 2013; Jian et al., 2018; Johnstone & Chapin, 2006), fire effects on landscape heterogeneity (e.g., Schoennagel et al., 2009; Turner et al., 1994), and forest resilience to wildland fires (e.g., Turner et al., 2019). Furthermore, appropriate estimation of burn severity is also crucial for effective and adaptive fire management (Eidenshink et al., 2007; Schoennagel et al., 2017), fuel treatment efficacy evaluation (e.g., Lydersen et al., 2017; Price & Bradstock, 2012), post‐fire hazard management (e.g., Benavides‐Solorio & MacDonald, 2001; Robichaud, 2005), and ecological fire use for biodiversity conservation (e.g., Hoffman et al., 2021).…”

Transforming fire governance in British Columbia, Canada: an emerging vision for coexisting with fire

“…Prior to the formalization of colonial authority over fire in the 1912 BC Forest Act, First Nations actors harnessed fire under their own systems of governance for a variety of cultural, spiritual, and ecological objectives. These systems of governance reflected a worldview of fire as beneficial for biodiversity and cultural continuity (Turner et al 2000 ; Huffman 2013 ; Lewis et al 2018 ; Lake and Christianson 2019 ; Hoffman et al 2021 ), although experiences with fire varied and burning practices were not universal (Lake 2013 ). Referring to practices prior to 1912, the Ministry of Forests noted that First Nations “ burned the forest every year to ‘light the salmon up the Fraser River ,’ as well as to improve hunting ” (Province of BC 1914, pg.…”

“…In western North America, for example, historical policies of fire suppression and exclusion imposed by colonial governments (and contested by Indigenous peoples) have today resulted in a build-up of hazardous fuels, an increased fire risk, and decreased forest resilience (Stephens et al 2013 ; Hessburg et al 2019 ). Furthermore, these historical policies interrupted Indigenous fire stewardship (Eriksen and Hankins 2014 ; Lake and Christianson 2019 ) that historically maintained biodiversity (especially of woody and non-woody plants) and habitat heterogeneity (Hoffman et al 2021 ). Tracking how governance has, and has not, changed through time can therefore help identify opportunities to ensure that transformation is both equitable and ecologically meaningful (Offen 2004 ; Davis 2009 ).…”

Walking on two legs: a pathway of Indigenous restoration and reconciliation in fire‐adapted landscapes

“…This is particularly problematic in the context of restoring fire‐adapted ecosystems throughout western North America, where fire scientists and land managers are advocating for restoration of fire‐resilient landscapes, including restoring historical fire regimes and related ecological processes that confer ecosystem resilience (Hessburg et al 2015). It is also increasingly acknowledged that many of these landscapes were shaped by a long history of Indigenous fire stewardship (Lake & Christianson 2019; Hoffman et al 2021). For example, burning was a common form of vegetation management by Indigenous peoples, including the Secwépemc, across the dry forests and grasslands of BC.…”