Ecologists Fear Wildlife Has 'Bleak Future' As Australia Fires Accelerate Extinction Crisis

Jan 11, 2020 by apost team

The wildfires in Australia have dominated the news for weeks, and it's not going to get any better because the fire season in Australia isn't even halfway through. Not only have millions of acres of land and thousands of houses been destroyed, but many human and animal lives have been lost. Wildlife in Australia is on the brink of a catastrophic event, with entire species facing extinction as whole regions are burned away.

Wildlife and conservation experts are speaking out about the level of devastation that animals and habitats are facing. What most haven't even considered is what the surviving population faces once the fires have passed and their habitats and food sources are gone, not to mention that these wildfires are going to be a recurring incident. Australia has so many animal species that are unique to the island nation, iconic animals like the kangaroo and the koala are well known, but there are several less common species too.

Professor Chris Dickman told the Metro that dozens of small species like mice, birds, reptiles, and insects are less able to flee wildfires and can have their communities wiped out as soon as fires reach their habitat. Other larger species are able to flee areas that are burning, but in many cases they end up trapped by the spread of the fires which move faster than anyone can fight or keep up with.

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At risk animal species were already high in Australia, and many experts agree that this wildfire season is likely to lead to their extinction as some populations only lived in a single location which has now been lost to fire, reports The Guardian.

Once a species is gone, there can be no conservation efforts to help the animals and preserve their survival. Even for those few animals of a species that are able to survive the fires, once the majority of the remaining population has been lost, it is nearly impossible to have any conservation success through re-population.

Ecologists and wildlife experts also told The Guardian that they fear what the remaining populations will look like given their habitats were already at risk with development and other natural factors. As the wildfires continue to burn and come through the same areas with regularity, food sources, shelter, and the general landscape of an area will be changed or vanish. Several species rely on a single type of food source and with fires that wipe out foliage and other species that would be their prey, most species will starve to death.

Essentially, Australia is about to undergo a domino effect where both wildlife and the natural forest will be forever changed. Much of the changes are the direct result of climate change and even with efforts being made to stop those changes, there is no turning back or fixing the damage that has been done. Let us know your thoughts on how we can save more animals in the future.