As devastating wildfires continue to sweep across parts of Southern Europe, researchers in Australia are demonstrating how merging cutting-edge technology with thousands of years of Indigenous wisdom could hold the key to managing global fire risks.
Professor Marta Yebra, head of the Bushfire Research Centre of Excellence in Canberra, leads a team analyzing data from satellites, drones, and artificial intelligence to detect emerging blazes. Established following Australia's catastrophic "Black Summer" fires in 2019–20, which razed an area roughly the size of the UK, the center aims to shift fire management from reactive emergency responses to early risk detection.
However, satellite images alone cannot tell the full story. To translate high-tech data into actionable insight on the ground, Yebra's team collaborates with Indigenous experts like Victor Webster. By evaluating ecological signs—such as plant color, scent, canopy cover, and subsurface moisture—Webster helps ground-truth satellite maps, pinpointing exactly which landscapes are ripe to burn.
Central to this combined approach is the ancient practice of cultural burning. For over 60,000 years, Indigenous Australians have lit "cool fires"—small, controlled blazes designed to create a patchy landscape and prevent dense fuel from building up. By reading natural indicators in the environment, experts can strike a delicate balance between moisture and plant oils, ensuring the fire remains contained while clearing dangerous vegetation.
Australia's proactive strategies also include hazard reduction burns in urban fringe areas where expanding suburbs meet bushland, as well as backburning—deliberately igniting fires ahead of a main blaze to starve it of fuel. As extreme fire weather increases globally due to climate change, techniques refined in Australia are increasingly being adopted overseas, including in Canada and Europe. Fire experts emphasize that anticipating risks and acting early, rather than waiting for blazes to spin out of control, offers the best protection for vulnerable communities and ecosystems.