The piedmont prairie would not exist without Indigenous peoples’ fire management practices. However, colonial leaders and the early environmental conservation movement advocated for the removal of Indigenous peoples and the suppression of Indigenous land management practices. This led to the decline of the piedmont prairie and the near extinction of many species.
Roo (Catawba Nation) describes the importance of these formerly forbidden fire management practices and why they must continue today.
How can human activity be beneficial to the environment rather than harmful?