Pan-Amazon Fire Management Shift Emphasizes Prevention

El Niño has returned, reviving concerns about wildfire risk across the Amazon after the 2023‑2024 fire crisis that caused severe drought and large‑scale fires. Indigenous peoples and local communities throughout the Pan‑Amazon have long used fire for agriculture, domestic activities and cultural practices, weaving it into daily life. The FUTERRA project (Fire and Territory: Traditional Knowledge for Fire Management in the Amazon), led by Landscape Alliance under the Global Fire Management Hub, examined initiatives in Bolivia, Brazil and Peru and held workshops to explore how fire management can be improved. It advocates Integrated Fire Management (IFM), a framework that balances preventive actions, planned use, rapid response and restoration, distinguishing traditional controlled burns from harmful wildfires. The project calls for policies that move beyond pure suppression toward prevention and the inclusion of local knowledge, aiming to protect climate, human health, livelihoods and ecosystem integrity in the region.