Using Participatory Mapping to Strengthen Indigenous Resilience for Wildfire Risk: Lessons From Capoto/Jarina, Brazil

Abstract

Indigenous lands in the Brazilian Amazon are critical to ecosystem conservation and cultural preservation but face increasing wildfire risks exacerbated by climate change and environmental degradation. This study explores how participatory mapping supports local resilience against wildfire risks, drawing on experiences from three villages in the Capoto/Jarina Indigenous land in Brazil. In each village, participatory maps were produced, and participants identified important locations for fire management, marking areas based on fire use, wildfire risks or the presence of fire-vulnerable resources. The results provide local insight into vegetation changes affecting wildfire and demonstrate how the interaction between vegetation and traditional fire use, including some small fires that are not detected by satellite, shapes wildfire risk. Results revealed the role of invasive plant species, such as Brachiaria spp., in shaping local wildfire risks. Participatory mapping helped pinpoint critical resources and vegetation types that are fire-sensitive and essential to local livelihoods. Finally, participatory mapping provided a spatially explicit representation of fire use, some of which were specific to environmental benefits, and wildfire risk management strategies across communities. The findings demonstrate that participatory mapping can help strengthen the resilience of local communities to wildfire risks by eliciting local fire use and wildfire management preferences while facilitating the creation of new local fire knowledge. The maps can be integrated into a broader wildfire risk assessment process, bringing together different knowledge systems to enrich stakeholders' understanding of shifting wildfire risks and planning for targeted interventions. As Brazil embraces the benefits of Indigenous and traditional fire use, participatory mapping can serve as a valuable tool for strengthening community-driven resilience strategies such as local fire brigade initiatives. Its accessibility and adaptability make it particularly effective for engaging diverse stakeholders, enabling greater participation and supporting the continuous adaptation of fire management practices in response to evolving environmental conditions.