Bushfires push Australia’s at-risk wildlife to the brink
OVER half the populations of more than 100 threatened species in Australia may have been killed in the bushfire crisis.
Yesterday the country’s department of the environment and energy released a report showing the devastating impact of the blazes.
It tracked threatened and migratory species which have, or had, more than 10 per cent of their known or predicted distribution in areas affected by bushfires in southern and eastern Australia since August 2019.
The preliminary findings indicated that 49 listed threatened species have more than 80 per cent of their likely population within the burnt-through areas.
Sixty-five listed threatened species have between 50 and 80 per cent of their distribution within the areas destroyed.
A further 77 threatened species have between 30 and 50 per cent of their distribution in the fire zones, and 136 appear to have lost between 10 and 30 per cent of their population.
The total of threatened species involved include 16 mammal, 14 frog, nine bird, seven reptile, four insect, four fish, one spider and 272 plant species.
Thirty-one of them were considered critically endangered before the fires, 110 considered endangered and another 186 classified as vulnerable.
One of Australia’s most recognisable animals, the platypus, may also be facing an existential struggle. While not listed as a threatened species, new research suggests the animal has taken a battering in north-east New South Wales from drought and the impact of feral pests and livestock.