| Title: |
Impact of 2019-2020 mega-fires on Australian fauna habitat |
| Authors: |
Ward, Michelle; Tulloch, Ayesha; Radford, James Q.; Williams, Brooke; Reside, April E.; Macdonald, Stewart L.; Mayfield, Helen J.; Maron, Martine; Possingham, Hugh P; Vine, Samantha J.; Lindenmayer, David B; Scheele, Benjamin |
| Source: |
Nature Ecology & Evolution |
| Publisher Information: |
Nature Publishing Group |
| Publication Year: |
2021 |
| Collection: |
Australian National University: ANU Digital Collections |
| Description: |
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. ; A.I.T.T. is supported by an ARC DECRA Fellowship. |
| Document Type: |
article in journal/newspaper |
| File Description: |
application/pdf |
| Language: |
English |
| Relation: |
http://purl.org/au-research/grants/arc/DE170100599; https://hdl.handle.net/1885/286544 |
| DOI: |
10.1038/s41559-020-1251-1 |
| Availability: |
https://hdl.handle.net/1885/286544; https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-020-1251-1; https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/bitstreams/13db53ae-486d-4d41-a029-bef753f23100/download; https://openresearch-repository.anu.edu.au/bitstreams/ed2c3998-85fc-4231-8d79-25f6674ee88b/download |
| Rights: |
© The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Nature Limited 2020 |
| Accession Number: |
edsbas.953E8679 |
| Database: |
BASE |