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Catalyst: Aboriginal fire knowledge reduces greenhouse gases

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Small flame burns in leaves on ground
Catalyst: Aboriginal fire knowledge reduces greenhouse gases

SUBJECTS:  Science

YEARS:  7–8, 9–10


Come on an eye-opening trip to Western Arnhem Land in northern Australia to find out how Aboriginal fire-control techniques are used to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by thousands of tonnes.

On the trip you will also find out how exploding ping-pong balls are used to create low greenhouse gas firebreaks at the right time of the year.


Things to think about

  1. 1.What do you know about Aboriginal fire-control techniques? How are firebreaks used to control wildfires? Can you name some greenhouse gases?
  2. 2.Notice what an early dry season burn is like. Watch out for the method used to spread the exploding ping-pong balls. Note what the red areas on the map represent. Record the reduction in greenhouse gases released per hectare of an early burn as compared to a late one.
  3. 3.What Aboriginal knowledge is being applied in current fire-control techniques? Why would less greenhouse gases be emitted by early dry season burns than late ones? How does scientific evidence support the claim that early dry season burns would reduce Australia's emissions?
  4. 4.Carbon dioxide is the main greenhouse gas but wildfires also emit large amounts of methane and nitrous oxide. Find out more about methane.



Date of broadcast: 8 Oct 2009


Copyright

Metadata © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia Ltd 2012 (except where otherwise indicated). Digital content © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). Video © Australian Broadcasting Corporation (except where otherwise indicated). All images copyright their respective owners. Text © Australian Broadcasting Corporation and Education Services Australia is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License (CC BY-SA 4.0).

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