homes and wiped out entire towns. Across Australia, nearly 18 million acres of land have been burned -- much of it bushland, forests and national parks, home to the
The total number of animals affected nationwide could be as high as a billion, according to Christopher Dickman, the University of
Sydney ecologist who led the report.
by climate change. And animals have been on the front lines -- Australia has the
highest rate of species loss of any area in the world, and researchers fear that rate could increase as the fire disaster continues.
"The scale of these fires is unprecedented," said Dieter Hochuli, an environmental
sciences professor at the University of Sydney. "There are substantial concerns
about the capacity of these (ecosystems) to rebound from the fires."
Flames, food, and predators
The team at the University of Sydney came to their conclusion by using estimates
of NSW mammal population density in 2007 in order to estimate how many animals have been affected by the 4.9 million hectares (12.1 million acres) that have been
set alight in the state this fire season.
It's a pretty good estimate, Hochuli said -- but until the fires stop, they have no way of surveying exactly how many animals have died. And since the density figures
excluded some species of bats and frogs, "the true loss of animal life is likely to be much higher than 480 million,"
said a statement from the university.Some animals, like koalas and kangaroos, are primarily killed directly by the fires -- for instance, by being incinerated in flames or choking on smoke.
Nearly a third of all koalas in NSW have died and about a third of their habitat has been destroyed,
federal environment minister Sussan Ley said in December.
Photos from the ground show koalas with singed fur, raw patches of burnt flesh, and blistered paws. Even if they are rescued and treated, sometimes their injuries are simply
too extensive to survive.Wombats have also been hit hard -- they don't cope well with heat or stress, and
panic at the smell of smoke. The small, stubby-legged marsupials can't run very
fast or far, and are largely at the mercy of the flames.
"It's just horrendous," said Graeme Jackson, a NSW resident who has experience
raising orphaned wombats. "A wombat can run 30 kilometers (per hour/18.6 mph), he can run that fast (for) short distances -- and then he burns."
Other species don't die from the flames or smoke, but instead from the fire's
aftermath. Smaller mammals and reptiles can escape the blazes by burrowing
underground or hiding in rocks -- but afterward, there is no food or shelter left, only certain predators that are drawn to fire because they know it brings easy prey.
"The big issue is that feral cats and red foxes hone in on fire front -- they come in
and pick off animals, it's an open hunting area," said Dickman, from the University
of Sydney.
Koalas and kangaroos are spread out across the country, so they're not in danger
of going extinct due to the blazes. But other animals that live in niche environments and have smaller populations may have been wiped out entirely; these include the eastern bristlebird, the mountain pygmy possum and the corroboree frog.
For these species, "if its habitat burns, it's a goner," Dickman said.
Extinction doesn't happen all at once. Each species on Earth has an average of
220 populations, so a healthy species could recover if only a handful of populations die out. But "if you whittle away population after population, then eventually you'll
be left with half a dozen, then three, two, then maybe even one population,"
Dickman said. "Then all it takes is one event and it's gone -- a fire, drought,
whatever."
Climate crisis and recovery in a changing landscape
These animals' recovery depends not only on their population size, but also on the condition of their habitat. For instance, plants grow slower in high-altitude alpine
regions, meaning it could be a very long time before species are able to return.
Sometimes, even if a habitat heals, the animals don't come back. In 1993, a fire in NSW's Royal National Park wiped out the greater gliders -- a type of lemur-like
gliding marsupial -- that lived there. "The population is effectively gone," Dickman
said.
It's not that animals are unprepared for
natural disasters -- they've been dealing with fires for millennia. But human interference
has changed everything. We have
fragmented natural environments with cities and residential areas, cleared land for our
use, and introduced invasive species --
making it harder for native species to recolonize after fires.
Perhaps the most devastating human factor has been the climate crisis, which
experts say has made natural disasters
go from bad to worseIt's gotten so bad that the heat and drought were
killing thousands of flying foxes even before the fires began. "They've been falling out of trees in large numbers,"
Dickman said. Their population is "almost certain" to have depleted further now
that fires have burned their habitat.
The depletion of animals and their homes is a vicious cycle; just as animals need
habitats to survive, so too do habitats need their animals.
For instance, a type of rat kangaroo called the potoroo is crucial to keeping forest
soil healthy. If potoroos are hit by fire, some plant species might be unable to
regenerate, which could then kill off other species that feed on vegetation.
Ecosystems are built on balance -- once one element is thrown off, everything is
affected.
Animal hospitals, zoos and rescue groups on the ground are doing their best to
respond to the fire crisis, with local residents and volunteers pitching in to care for
injured animals.
"This is huge because we had a drought before we had this bushfire, so the animals are already undernourished," said Janine Green, a volunteer at WIRES Wildlife
Rescue, who rescued a possum with badly burnt paws on Tuesday near the NSW
town of Cobargo.
Federal Environment Minister Ley said in
December that the government is working
with koala experts, and had allocated $6
million Australian dollars ($4.1 million) to
establish habitat corridors and a plan for
releasing animals that have been in
hospitals.
But some fear that unless authorities take decisive long-term action on climate
change and animal conservation, the country's wildlife and environment could
face a dire future. Australia has more than
300 native species -- and about 81% of
them are only found in the country. If they are wiped out here, these rare animals
could be gone for good.
"They're not coping, and now they've got no grass, no water, no habitat," Green
said. "Who knows if they can breed after this? We've never seen anything like this before."
Australia's deadly wildfires are
showing no signs of stopping.
Here's what you need to know
What is causing the fires?
Each year there is a fire season during the Australian summer, with hot, dry
weather making it easy for blazes to start and spread.
Natural causes are to blame most of the time, like lightning strikes in drought-affected forests. Dry lightning was responsible for starting a number of fires in Victoria's East Gippsland region in late December, which then traveled more than 20 kilometers (12.4 miles) in just five hours, according to
state agency Victoria Emergency.Humans can also be to blame. NSW police have charged at least 24 people with
deliberately starting bushfires, and have taken legal action against 183 people for
fire-related offenses since November, according to a police statement.
Why are the fires so bad?
Fire season in Australia is always dangerous -- the 2009 Black Saturday fires killed 173 people in Victoria, making it the deadliest bushfire disaster on record. But
conditions have been unusually severe this year, fanning the flames and making
firefighting conditions particularly difficult.
Australia is experiencing one of its worst droughts in decades -- the country's Bureau of Meteorology said in December that last spring was the driest on record. Meanwhile, a heatwave in December
broke the record for highest nationwide average
temperature, with some places sweltering under temperatures well above 40 degrees Celsius (about 113-120 degrees Fahrenheit).
Strong winds have also made the fires and
smoke spread more rapidly, and have led to fatalities -- a 28-year-old volunteer firefighter died in NSW in December after his truck rolled over in high winds.
Several high-ranking emergency service
officials, including the former commissioner of the NSW Fire and Rescue Department, sent letters to Prime Minister Scott
Morrison in 2019 warning of the impact of the climate crisis on Australia.
In response, Morrison emphasized a commitment to reduce carbon emissions --
but also said he would stick to "sensible" policies, and that there wasn't "a single
policy, whether it be climate or otherwise," that can completely protect against the
fires.
What has been the damage so far?
Entire towns have been engulfed in flames, and residents across several states
have lost their homes. The heaviest structural damage occurred in NSW, the
country's most populated state, where 1,588 homes have been destroyed and
over 650 damaged.
In total, more than 7.3 million hectares (17.9 million acres) have been burned
across Australia's six states -- an area larger than the countries of Belgium and
Denmark combined. The worst-affected state is NSW, with more than 4.9 million
hectares (12.1 million acres) burned.
To put that into perspective, the 2019
Amazon rainforest fires burned more than 7 million hectares (about 17.5 million acres),
according to Brazilian officialsA total of 24 people across Australia have died this fire season,
including several volunteer firefighters
How many animals have died?
About
half a billion animals have been affected by the fires across NSW, with millions likely dead -- and that's a conservative estimate. That number could be as high
as one billion nationwide, according to ecologists from the University of Sydney.
The figures for NSW include birds, reptiles, and mammals, except bats. It also excludes insects and frogs, so the real sum is almost certain to be higher, the ecologists said.
Almost
a third of koalas in NSW may have been killed in the fires, and a third of their habitat has been destroyed, said Federal Environment Minister Sussan Ley.
Some species, like koalas, aren't in any immediate danger of extinction because
they are spread out across the country, said the university ecologists. But others
that live in more niche environments with lower populations, including certain types of frogs and birds, could be wiped out entirely if their habitats are hit by the fires.
These are pretty good estimates based on previous research on population
density -- but until the fires stop, researchers have no way of surveying just how
extensive the damage is, and exactly how many animals have died.
What is being done?
State and federal authorities have been working to combat the fire crisis for
months.
Early in January, Victoria declared a state of disaster and NSW declared a state of emergency -- both granting extraordinary powers and additional government resources to battle the fires. The state of Queensland also briefly declared a state of emergency in November.
There are more than 2,000 firefighters working on the ground in NSW alone, and more support is on the way -- the US, Canada, and New Zealand have sent additional firefighters to help.
The federal government has also
sent in military assistance like army personnel, air force aircraft, and navy cruisers for firefighting, evacuation, search and rescue, and clean-up efforts.
The Morrison administration launched a recovery fund worth 2 billion Australian dollars ($1.39 billion), to be released over a two-year-period, to help rebuild communities struck by the fires.
The prime minister earlier said up to $4,200 will go to each of the volunteer firefighters battling blazes for more than 10 days. Other relief measures include compensated pay and extra leave for volunteer firefighters.
When will the fires end?
Unfortunately, Australia is only just entering its summer season. Normally,
temperatures peak in January and February, meaning the country could be months away from finding relief.
The fires are unlikely to end entirely since they are an annually occurring event -- and may even get worse if recent years are a guide.
How can I help?
Donations can be made to several organizations working toward victim relief and
You can also help the devastated animal population by giving to wildlife rescue and treatment groups like
WIRES, the
Port Macquarie Koala Hospital, and
Currumbin Wildlife Hospital1. When did Australia fires start?
2. How many animals died in Australia fires?
3. Why are the fires so bad in Australia?
4. What are the links between the global warming and bushfires?
5. What can I do to help Australia fires?
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