Smoke from a fire set
deliberately hovers
over Arnhem Land in
northern Australia.
Aboriginal people have
inhabited the area for
tens of thousands of
years, managing it by
burning grasses and
underbrush early in the
dry season to prevent
wildfires from ravaging
forests later, when it’s
hotter and drier.
PREVIOUS PHOTO
Conrad Maralngurra
starts a low-intensity
blaze to protect
his community in
Mamadawerre, an
outstation along
the northern border
of the Warddeken
Indigenous Protected
Area. In summer,
lightning strikes
routinely spark fires
in the tropical savanna.