After the Megafires: What Next for Australian Wildlife?

Abstract

The 2019–2020 megafires in Australia brought a tragic loss of human life and the most dramatic loss of habitat for threatened species and devastation of ecological communities in postcolonial history. What must be done now to keep impacted species from extinction? What can be done to avoid a repeat of the impacts of such devastating bushfires? Here, we describe hard-won lessons that may also be of global relevance.

Widespread short‐term persistence of frog species after the 2019–2020 bushfires in eastern Australia revealed by citizen science

“…While bushfires of varying sizes are relatively common in many Australian ecosystems (Moritz et al, 2014), fires of this extent are not (Boer et al, 2016(Boer et al, , 2020. By area burnt, this was the largest fire season in southeastern Australia since European occupation (Wintle, Legge, & Woinarski, 2020). Wetter ecosystems (e.g., rainforests) generally burn less frequently, but in 2019/20 up to half of Australia's Gondwana Rainforests World Heritage Area was burnt There is little data on the historical fire frequency of these ecosystems because they do not typically burn (Nolan et al, 2020), highlighting the unprecedented nature of the 2019/20 fires.…”

Fire and biodiversity in the Anthropocene

“…Assessments undertaken through the IUCN Red List of Ecosystems show that altered fire regimes, in combination with other drivers, threaten whole ecosystems with collapse, including the Cape Flats Sand Fynbos of South Africa and Mountain Ash forests of Australia (25). Many biodiversity hotspots remain inadequately studied, and unprecedented recent fires such as the 12.6 million ha of vegetation burnt in Australia from late to early 2020 (26) mean that numerous species may have declined since their status was assessed. Thus, we are likely underestimating the total number of species threatened by ongoing changes in fire regimes.…”

“…Yet, there is much to learn about the most effective actions for rapid recovery. Following megafires in eastern Australia in 2019-2020, large-scale efforts are underway to assess the value of feeding stations, reducing browsing pressure by introduced herbivores, controlling invasive predators, and creating artificial shelters (26). For plants, rapid recovery actions include aerial seeding (90), seed collection (75) and restoration plantings (84).…”

What Are the Grand Challenges for Plant Conservation in the 21st Century?

“…As the devastating recent fires in Australia and California illustrate, the combination of changing climate, and the legacy of past and present fire management and suppression have led to fires that exceed the historical range of variability, in extent, intensity and duration. For example, Australia, although used to fire, experienced the most intense and widespread fires yet seen in the 2019-2020 austral summer, certainly the largest in Eastern Australia since European occupation (Wintle et al, 2020). The fires were so ferocious that they burnt through areas that ordinarily would serve as fire-free refuges.…”

“…Almost half of the most impacted plant species lost over 80% of their range, and rehabilitation may be next to impossible given that the areas burnt are so large and that the distances that recolonizing mutualists will need to cover may be too great (Wintle et al, 2020). The relief effort for fire control was understandably focused on human safety, with only few pre-emptive responses aimed at reducing loss of biodiversity, although one example was saving the critically endangered Wollemi pine (Wollemia nobilis) (Wintle et al, 2020). A more future-focused effort to fire management could focus on restoring heterogeneity and building resilience (Gillson et al, 2019).…”