Impact of 2019-2020 mega-fires on Australian fauna habitat.
Michelle WardAyesha I T TullochJames Q RadfordBrooke A WilliamsApril E ResideStewart L MacdonaldHelen J MayfieldMartine MaronHugh P PossinghamSamantha J VineJames L O'ConnorEmily J MassinghamAaron C GreenvilleJohn C Z WoinarskiStephen T GarnettMark LintermansBen C ScheeleJosie CarwardineDale G NimmoDavid B LindenmayerRobert M KooymanJeremy S SimmondsLaura J SonterJames E M WatsonPublished in: Nature ecology & evolution (2020)
Australia's 2019-2020 mega-fires were exacerbated by drought, anthropogenic climate change and existing land-use management. Here, using a combination of remotely sensed data and species distribution models, we found these fires burnt ~97,000 km2 of vegetation across southern and eastern Australia, which is considered habitat for 832 species of native vertebrate fauna. Seventy taxa had a substantial proportion (>30%) of habitat impacted; 21 of these were already listed as threatened with extinction. To avoid further species declines, Australia must urgently reassess the extinction vulnerability of fire-impacted species and assist the recovery of populations in both burnt and unburnt areas. Population recovery requires multipronged strategies aimed at ameliorating current and fire-induced threats, including proactively protecting unburnt habitats.