Blog

Southwest Tribal Fire and Climate Resilience

This is part of an ongoing effort to respect tribal sovereignty and treaty rights by supporting tribal use of fire as part of cultural and ecological resilience, and seeks to increase capacities, ameliorate challenges, and share examples that can guide tribes across the Southwest.

Read the full workshop summary here. Download a version of this factsheet here.

IN BRIEF Indigenous people were the first fire and natural resource managers in the Southwest. As forest managers work to bring health back to Southwestern ecosystems in a changing world, it is imperative that Indigenous perspectives are included and we collectively work to build tribal capacity to help lead these efforts. In Spring 2023, an Indigenous-led workshop series shared diverse tribal perspectives on fire and the group identified topics for future work together. This work is designed to support tribal and pueblo natural resource and fire programs in New Mexico and Arizona in their efforts both on reservations and off-reservation on ancestral homelands. This is part of an ongoing effort to respect tribal sovereignty and treaty rights by supporting tribal use of fire as part of cultural and ecological resilience, and seeks to increase capacities, ameliorate challenges, and share examples that can guide tribes across the Southwest.
KEY THEMES The following themes were explored in the group’s conversations. Indigenous perspectives on fire Cultural burning or the use of fire as a cultural practice Prescribed fire Fire and post-fire research and restoration Tribal capacity and workforce development Burn qualifications and requirements Collaboration and coordination Perception of fire Climate impacts Climate change adaptation planning For more details on each of these topics, see the full workshop summary.