As we share this statement on Traditional Ecological Knowledge, we recognize that this it will continue to evolve and grow through future dialogue. We welcome dialogue and recommendations for the work that many of us are doing to respectfully recognize knowledge systems associated with TEK and the critical importance of cultural data sovereignty.

1. AFE recognizes and honors that Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK)¹ is science².


2. AFE recognizes the historical genocide and abuses that First Nations, Native Americans, and original cultures have suffered following settler colonialism.


3. AFE recognizes that cultural fire use has often been discounted, disrespected, and criminalized. We are actively working towards rebuilding trust and relationships that support restoring rights to traditional fire stewardship practices and the deep knowledge systems associated with these practices on ancestral lands.


4. AFE is committed to supporting data sovereignty and asks that those sharing TEK at conferences or in publications first seek permission to do so through formal data sharing agreements.


5. AFE recognizes that knowledge about cultural fire use and place-based practices is held by many cultures and must not be appropriated or exploited. TEK may not be shared outside of respective cultures or groups without their expressed consent. AFE acknowledges that consent to share TEK by one culture or group does not imply that other cultures allow sharing of their knowledge.


6. AFE aspires to find common solutions to the fire-related challenges all sectors of society face with wildland fires by respectfully bringing together TEK and western scientific methods of inquiry and ways of knowing.

¹ We are using Traditional Ecological Knowledge here instead of Indigenous Knowledge because this term is more broadly accepted internationally.

² We define science as the pursuit of knowledge and understanding of the natural and social world following a systematic methodology based on evidence (https://sciencecouncil.org/about-science/our-definition-of-science).