Can the lessons of the past help us build a better future?

Embargoed until: Publicly released: 2021-01-19 03:00

Australia; QLD

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Does information from the past hold the keys to help us build a better future? Australian and international researchers suggest that we can learn from days-gone-by as we enter the Anthropocene; a new geological era in which human activity is driving changes to the Earth's ecological and geological system. The authors use Aboriginal fire regimes as an example of where traditional ecological knowledge and long-term datasets have improved modern land management. They suggest that the past can show us where we went wrong, and help to identify ways we can apply modern technology and solutions to enhance our past successes in agricultural sustainability, food security, biodiversity and conservation, effective land-use, and minimising pollution and climate change.