As Extreme Wildfires Threaten Forests, Indigenous Leadership Offers Solutions

Indigenous Peoples and local communities are among the world’s most effective forest stewards. Research continues to show that the lands they manage often lose less tree cover, store more carbon and support higher biodiversity than surrounding areas.

Yet a new report from WRI and WWF-Australia finds that these lands are disproportionately affected by increasing wildfires. Fueled by climate change, deforestation and decades of colonial-era policies that long restricted Indigenous rights to manage their lands — factors largely beyond the control of Indigenous Peoples and local communities — wildfire risk is rising for the very communities that have done the most to protect these forests, while contributing the least to climate change.

Here, we unpack the drivers behind these findings and explore how restoring autonomy to Indigenous Peoples and local communities can help reduce forest fire risk.