Indigenous rangers seek Earthshot Prize to expand fire management
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Seventy Indigenous ranger groups in Australia are finalists for Prince William’s Earthshot Prize for their work reducing bushfire risks and restoring biodiversity across the Australian desert.
The Indigenous Desert Alliance (IDA) combines traditional knowledge with modern fire management techniques, a program called Right Way Fire, to conduct targeted burns that lessen fuel loads and improve habitats. Over the past four years, the IDA has involved 1,300 Indigenous people, trained 885 rangers, and managed 145 million hectares of land.
Samantha Murray, CEO of the IDA, expressed both excitement and nervousness about the alliance’s chances of winning the prize, which includes $1.9 million to support their efforts. More than 7,000 nominations from 169 countries were considered by over 150 judges. Prince William created the Earthshot Prize in 2020 to encourage solutions to environmental challenges. Earthshot Prize CEO Jason Knauf noted the scale of the IDA’s work, protecting 2.7 million square kilometers, as particularly impressive.
If the IDA wins, the funds will be used to expand fire protection work and support intergenerational knowledge transfer, while also increasing the visibility of desert communities in global climate conversations.
