Indigenous guardians play a critical role in protecting the land, their homes, and their livelihoods
Originally published on Global Voices
The Cool Earth initiative in Cutivireni and Oviri works around three key concepts: the monitoring of satellite fire weather alerts, the introduction of a flag-based system regarding safe times to conduct traditional fire practices, and practical training to contain small blazes and prevent them from causing devastation to the Indigenous people in the rainforest. Photo by Cool Earth, 2026; used with permission.
It’s September and 2026 has already been defined by wildfires spanning across the globe. Driven by the heat and dryness of the climate crisis, outbursts on the edge of Bordeaux, France have forced 200,000 from their homes and led to deaths in Spain. Smoke has billowed across the Canada-U.S. border, covering cities in smog.
Fires are expected to continue as seasons transition in the Southern Hemisphere, with a severe El Niño phenomenon that the United Nations warns will add pressure to an already scorching globe, risking similar conditions to those that — back in 2024 — drove the worst Amazonian wildfires in two decades.
With fire and drought risks set to increase in the coming months, Indigenous people in the Amazon rainforest are stepping up to take on new roles as fire brigade members, protecting both their homes and a key natural resource in the fight against climate change.
Ahead of this year’s El Niño weather pattern, Indigenous people from Peru’s Cutivireni and Oviri communities approached Cool Earth: they wanted to ensure they were equipped to fight any fires this coming season. The organization’s long-established relationship with the two Indigenous groups and experience working with the Central Asháninka of the Ene River to create the Paamari programme, made it easier to establish four fire crews across communities that were already springing into action.
In Cutivireni, the newly formed Chullachaqui fire crew have faced multiple blazes. Named after an Amazonian forest spirit, the crew understand the critical role they play in protecting the land, their homes, and their livelihoods. In early August came one of the first tests of their training: alerted by people in the Tsyapo and Pajonal communities, community brigade members joined up with their partners in Central Cutivireni to tackle the fire, which they successfully put out.
Julio Acosta, Cool Earth’s Forest Data Manager, said that the organization really admires and appreciates how the communities have been making the best use of what they have been building with them, adding, “This early action taken in Tsyapo and Pajonal demonstrates how effectively they put into practice what they’ve learned in the workshops.”
The training was taken directly from concepts in the Paamari programme. Similar to Paamari, the Cool Earth initiative with Cutivireni and Oviri works around three key concepts: the increased monitoring of satellite fire weather alerts, the introduction of a flag-based system regarding safe times to conduct traditional fire practices, and practical training to contain small blazes and prevent them from causing devastation to the Indigenous people in the rainforest.
The communities themselves often act as the brigade’s eyes, alerting them to smoke or flames. Working in close coordination with local authorities, brigade members first assess the wildfires and try to tame the blazes in their initial stage, before they require a more complex response by the authorities.
Acosta stressed the importance of highlighting the fact that the main work of these brigades lies in prevention, rather than initial response. “This tends to be less visible,” he explained, {but the measures they take, such as the flag system, help reduce the occurrence of these fires. Seeing the initiative and eagerness to learn more from the brigade members motivates us to expand and improve the work we’ve been implementing together.”
Along with protecting their homes, the Indigenous communities act as custodians of the rainforest — a vital global asset for fighting the climate crisis. According to the World Resources Institute, rainforests provide 23 percent of the climate mitigation needed to help stabilise global temperatures. Their destruction from wildfires depletes the world’s natural carbon stores and also releases tons of carbon back into the atmosphere.
At the moment, not every fire can be tackled. August saw a fire in Cutivireni that reached a score of three out of five on Peru’s national disaster response. When interviewed, onlookers noted that there was “little that’s left or [that] survived.” The fire raged for four days and went on to destroy 50 hectares of land – about the size 70 football pitches.
With communities set to come under more strain, Cool Earth hopes to establish further training, turning the initiative into a fully fledged project. Providing Indigenous people with more finance and training capabilities, they hope to meet the ever-growing demand for wildfire training in the Peruvian Amazon.