Australia has been for weeks now under the grip of forest fires, and the whole world is looking to the images of a wounded and hungry animal’s. But what about all the other wild animals in the country.
In the Uk the media is circulating an astronomically high number, and the number of deaths, under “mammals, birds, and reptiles’, it would be, in total, around 480 million of dead mammals, birds, and reptiles, among which there are 8,000 koalas, a figure that was first mentioned in an article in The Times.
< / p> NU.nl talked with three of the ecologists, of the Sydney University, for example, in order to have a better understanding of the consequences of this for the wild animals, and to find out how many animals are actually dead.
“We doubt, however, whether the ecosystem can recover.”
Dieter Hochuli, an ecologist < / p> Ecologist Dieter Hochuli from Sydney University, says that the figure of 480 million deaths are a crude estimate of the likely impact of the fires so far. “You have to see it as a calculation on the back of a beer coaster, which is based on the amount, intensity, and duration of the fire. It is probably a good rough estimate is based on the effects of the previous (smaller) fires in Australia.”
“What is also important is the way a few “refugia,” there are still, for the little tufts of biodiversity in order to share with you.” It does, according to Hochuli that much of a difference, or any part of the forest stand, where the animals are located while in the burning to be able to revoke it. At the present writing, it is difficult to escape, even for the more mobile species.
As of the Australian forest, it is sufficient with plants that are fire adapted, and the ecosystems they have been for many thousands of years of experience, the present situation is not comparable, ” says the ecologist. “The scale of these fires has never been seen before. They keep longer, have a larger surface area to spread, and burn it to a higher level. Thus, we are concerned not only for iconic species such as koalas, but also for large groups of plants and animals. We doubt greatly whether the ecosystem can recover.”
An animal with a burn-in of a target group. (Photo: )
Supposedly, a lot of marsupials have died, but the field was still impossible to < / p> finally, Australia has the second the hot and very dry summer in a row, and the two hottest months of summer are still in front of the door. The experts are of the severe drought and forest fires have not yet been passed. The permanent damage caused by the ongoing forest fires and can therefore not be calculated.
Many of the estimates are derived from a calculation of the loss of habitat. For instance, in the state of New-South-Wales, it may be one-third of the animal’s family. However, this iconic marsupial is not the only kind of that is due to massive forest fires, is under threat, say the animal’s specialist ecologist Valentina Mella. It is, according to her, as well as for many other klimbuideldieren, such as koeskoezen (possums), suikereekhoorns, he buidelmuis, and for a variety of small wallabysoorten. “A lot of these animals are also severely dehydrated.”
Mella said that the forest fire is still raging, and that it is therefore too early to report on. “Unfortunately, at this stage it is impossible to see the actual size of the number of casualties among the wild animals, to say, as we are in the middle of the emergency from the forest fires there.”
“Only when it is safe to do so, you may also experience in the field, data was collected in order to get a better understanding of the ecological consequences of the fire.”
< / p> NU.nl talking to the person who made the original estimate, made in ecologieprofessor Chris Dickman from the Sydney University. “The number that had been circulating in the British media, it is as if the completion is correct. I’ve had an estimate made of 487.5 million of dead mammals, birds, and reptiles.” Smaller animals, such as insects, and are, therefore, not taken into account, the estimate of is going to be great ‘vertebrate’ animals.
a Parched animal drinks water from the Australian cyclist is empty, you may Also use the indirect fatalities were taken into account < / p> Dickman for the estimate, look at the previous experiences of bosverlies in Australia by industrial logging practices.
He did, however, have one significant nuance: it’s not just the animals who have died in the fires, but also to the animals that will eventually die as a result of the fire. A lot of wild animals to the flames to escape, simply have no habitat, and, therefore, still is to die. This is true, according to Dickman, for large numbers of birds.
in Recent years, the world’s largest number of forest fires in 1998. The bush fires in Australia are now larger in size than those in the Amazon, and Russia. In addition, the burn out is also a lot of wildlife in the country, as a direct result of the heat and dehydration. So, there have been reports of birds that are dead out of the trees.
Conclusion < / p> the Experts from Sydney University, that they assume that the current Australian bush fires both directly and indirectly, for hundreds of millions of casualties among the wild beasts, birds, and reptiles. It’s going to be a rough estimate, and it is not a definitive calculation, as the fires had not yet been satisfied.
