Indigenous Approach to Integrated Fire Management in Indigenous Lands in the State of Tocantins – Brazil

Abstract

 Integrated Fire Management can represent a new approach for some people and public institutions in Brazil. However, it is a common practice for indigenous communities of the indigenous lands Parque do Araguaia  and Xerente , in the state of Tocantins. The communities use fire traditionally to reduce accumulated combustible material in the landscapes of Cerrado; to ensure fruiting and hunting; to build escape routes for animals in case of wildfires; to promote slash-and-burn agriculture; and to clean the areas around the villages for protection. Bringing together traditional knowledge and institutional guidelines implies a challenge in the process of learning how to value and respect others. This is the milestone for developing strategies that encompass knowledge, techniques and experiences to achieve harmony among all stakeholders, and to promote conservation of natural heritage and biodiversity in indigenous lands. The present study addresses the indigenous approach of the use of fire according to the traditional knowledge within the scope of integrated fire management and the Federal Brigades Program of the Brazilian Institute for the Environment and Renewable Natural Resources (Ibama), carried out by the National Center for Prevention and Fighting Forest Fires (Prevfogo) in the indigenous lands Parque do Araguaia and Xerente. The objective was to assist society to understand the integration process between public institutions and indigenous communities in the search for improvements to prevent wildfires and to decrease their negative effects on indigenous lands.