How will fire change Victoria?

The Victorian National Parks Association has recently provided an analysis of environmental issues related to the bushfire crisis:

Victoria is one of the most fire prone places on earth, and this is being made a far more severe problem by human-induced climate change.

And while fire has long been a natural disturbance in the Victorian bush, in recent years many of our special natural areas have been experiencing fire too frequently, allowing insufficient time for habitat recovery. Even our normally fire-resistant temperate rainforest areas are burning, a situation which they have not evolved to cope with. Read more here. 

Sadly, many animals have been killed and will continue to perish following the fires.More here. 

This is devastating for endangered species like the brush-tailed rock wallabies of the upper Snowy River, but also for common species already experiencing a decline in populations.

Here lies the challenge: many species are not given time to replenish before another threat comes along, whether it is more fire, predators, pest animals such as deer which eat regrowth and trample already polluted wetlands and waterways –  or the logging of either burnt or unburnt areas.

Once these fires are controlled, we will need urgent surveys, condition assessments and expert management advice and action for the recovery of critically threatened species and highly localised habitats. Every bit of unburnt bush is now a vital refuge for the recovery of species, especially in East Gippsland and the North East. See more here.

See the VNPA website for the full article which concludes with links covering: 

• evidence-based articles on the latest bushfire crisis
• organisations to support if you want to help
• websites with current safety information