The unprecedented bushfires in Australia from 2019 to 2020 burned an area larger than the United Kingdom, killed at least 33 people, displaced or killed nearly 3 billion animals, and destroyed the habitats of more than 500 species. The fires are set to get even bigger in 2023. The devastation has scientists and planners asking how the world’s most fire-prone continent can prepare for future major fires. Today, they are taking inspiration and lessons from Aboriginal people who have been lightly burning the land for some 60,000 years.
Filmmaker Kirsten Slemint followed James Shaw of the Melukerdee people of the South East Nations to train young Aboriginal people to practice cultural burning on Bruny Island in Tasmania. He says burning the land at a lower temperature reduces the fuel load and provides nutrients to plants and seeds beneath the ash. “The whole system evolved with Aboriginal burning,” says conservation biologist Hugh Possingham. “It’s one of the cultural things that we need to learn in the coming years if we’re going to really stabilise this planet.”
When asked what inspired him to make a film focusing on Australia’s cultural fires, Slemint said: “Australia is not the only country facing devastating bushfires and we have a wealth of knowledge and experience to offer the global community. I think the film’s message of respect, community and hope is vital to creating a brighter future where our environmental and cultural heritage is protected and celebrated.”
About the filmmaker: Kirsten Slemint, a recent graduate of the National Film and Television School, is a freelance filmmaker and producer based in London. Her work explores the intersection between people and nature, and is driven by her interest in achieving specific social and environmental goals.
About the competition: Now in its 11th season, the Yale Environment 360 Film Contest honors the year’s best environmental documentaries and aims to recognize previously unseen work. This year, 714 entries were submitted from 91 countries across six continents, and included Pulitzer Prize-winning author Elizabeth Colbert, Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker Thomas Lennon, e360‘s editor-in-chief Roger Cohn.
