Europe is facing some of the worst wildfires in decades, and experts say the solutions do not just involve more planes and helicopters. On the other side of the world, Australia is trying to prevent disasters before the fire breaks out, combining cutting-edge technology with methods used by indigenous populations for tens of thousands of years.
Satellites, drones, and artificial intelligence are used to identify high-risk areas, and the information is verified on the ground with the help of knowledge passed down through generations by Aboriginal communities.
Australian researchers say that this combination of modern science and millennia-old experience allows for faster detection of risks and intervention before the fires get out of control, writes BBC.
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### Satellites see from space, Aborigines confirm from the ground
One of the people behind these projects is Marta Yebra, a researcher based in Canberra who leads the Australian research center dedicated to wildfires. The center was established after the devastating fires of the 2019-2020 season, known as the „Black Summer,” when areas comparable to the size of the United Kingdom burned.
Her team uses satellite images to measure vegetation moisture and identify areas where a lot of flammable material has accumulated, such as dry grass, leaves, or shrubs.
However, satellite data alone is not sufficient.
They are compared with observations made on the ground by specialists using knowledge passed down through generations, such as Adrian Webster. He says he can „read” the land’s condition by the color and smell of plants, the shade of trees, or even what lies beneath the soil surface.
„She had all this extraordinary data, but there was no translation of what it meant on the ground,” Webster says of the collaboration with Marta Yebra.
The results showed a remarkable agreement between satellite images and assessments made by those using these traditional knowledge.
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### Fire can prevent large wildfires
Australia has long used a method that may seem paradoxical: fighting fires with fire.
The practice of igniting small and controlled fires, known as „cool fires,” has been used in Australia for about 60,000 years, notes the BBC. These fires gradually eliminate dry vegetation and prevent the accumulation of large amounts of combustible material.
„The longer you leave it, the more fuel accumulates, and the fire will be larger and harder to extinguish,” says Webster.
Marta Yebra believes that Europe could learn from this approach. „It’s hard to watch what’s happening in Spain, but it’s not surprising,” the researcher says. She explains that climate change increasingly favors extreme conditions for fires in southern Europe, and the accumulation of dry vegetation worsens the situation.
In addition to traditional methods, Australia also uses planned preventive burnings, carried out during cooler periods of the year. These interventions are gradually being adopted in some European states.
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### Drones decide intervention in minutes
Technology also plays an increasingly important role. Drones are deployed immediately after the intervention teams arrive and provide real-time images of the fire’s propagation direction. This allows firefighters to quickly decide where resources should be concentrated.
Drones are also used to transport equipment, to start controlled fires as part of fire isolation operations, and to assess damages after extinguishing fires.
### Australia prepares for a difficult new season
Experts warn that the next fire season could be one of the most challenging in recent years, amid forecasts indicating the onset of a super El Niño.
Authorities in the state of Victoria also expect an extremely difficult season. The fires of the „Black Saturday” in 2009 remain the deadliest in Australia’s history and still serve as a benchmark for firefighters.
At the same time, Australia regularly sends specialized teams to the United States and Canada to help extinguish fires. This week, France requested for the first time support from Australian firefighters, as fires fueled by the heatwave reached record levels.
Jason Heffernan, the chief firefighter in Victoria, says that no intervention service can cope alone with increasingly frequent and intense fires.
„We see wildfires breaking out in parts of the world where they didn’t exist before,” he warns.
G.P.