39 Ways to Save the Planet

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Tom Heap and Dr Tamsin Edwards uncover fresh ways to save the planet from climate change.

BBC Radio Four, in partnership with the Royal Geographical Society, presents 39 ideas to relieve the stress that climate change is exerting on the planet.

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39 Ways to Save the Planet: Local Wisdom

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BBC Radio 4 - 39 Ways to Save the Planet, Local Wisdom

Tom Heap discovers how indigenous knowledge can help us fight climate change.

Tom Heap asks if valuing and applying the knowledge of indigenous people groups more could help fight climate change.

There are different schools of thought on how land (and sea) are best managed but often in the rush for economic development indigenous practices and knowledge are overlooked. Observations and understanding from living on the land can inform how to protect and preserve it . Tom Heap meets Victor Steffensen, a descendent of the aboriginal Tagalaka people and an indigenous fire practitioner. He explains how cultural burns can help manage the land, reduce the fuel load and the likelihood of destructive wildfires. Yet he feels while there are calls to incorporate this knowledge more, it doesn't go far enough. Diana Mastracci is a researcher working with groups in the Amazon and Arctic to give them equal participation and benefits from research and runs hackathons for software ideas that could use and value their knowledge more and says academics have a long way to go to fully appreciate this knowledge. 
Dr Tamsin Edwards weighs up just how much carbon dioxide could potentially be saved by adopting indigenous land management practices. 

Producer: Anne-Marie Bullock
Researcher Sarah Goodman

Produced in association with the Royal Geographical Society. Special thanks for this episode to Dr Jem Woods and Miss Abi Croker from Imperial College London and to Dr Caroline Lehmann from the University of Edinburgh.

To find out more about Indigenous Land Management and Landcare Australia  :  https://landcareaustralia.org.au/

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