Identifying and Addressing the Right to Burn for Indigenous-Led Fire Stewardship Practices

In Canada, Indigenous peoples have been managing fires for generations. Challenges and alternatives related to power, jurisdiction, legislation, accreditation, liabilities, and resources exist in identifying and protecting forests from wildfires. Cultural burning can benefit community welfare, biodiversity, and wildfire risk reduction. This study compares Indigenous fire stewardship (IFS) in Canada with cultural burning practices in Indonesia, using literature and comparative research methodologies. Both countries face challenges to this issue. Canada allows cultural burning on reserves with supervision, while Indonesia permits local communities to burn up to two hectares without supervision. Community empowerment, Indigenous Ecological Knowledge (IEK), and fire management are crucial in both nations. Comparative analysis informs future cultural burning policies, emphasizing local expertise in risk reduction.