Australia's Megafires: Biodiversity Impacts and Lessons from 2019-2020

The Australian wildfires of 2019–20 (Black Summer) were devastating and unprecedented. These megafires burnt more than 10 million hectares, mostly of forests in southern and eastern Australia. Many of the fires were uncontrollable. These megafires affected many of Australia's most important conservation areas and severely impacted threatened species and ecological communities. They were a consequence of climate change – and offered a glimpse of how this is likely to continue to affect our future.

Australia's Megafires includes contributions by more than 200 researchers and managers with direct involvement in the management and conservation of the biodiversity affected by the Black Summer wildfires. It provides a comprehensive review of the impacts of these fires on all components of biodiversity, and on Indigenous cultural values.

These fires also triggered an extraordinary and highly collaborative response by governments, NGOs, Indigenous groups, scientists, landholders and others, seeking to recover the fire-affected species and environments – to restore Country. This book documents that response. It draws lessons that should be heeded to sustain that recovery and to be better prepared for the inevitable future comparable catastrophes. Such lessons are of global relevance, for wildfires increasingly threaten biodiversity and livelihoods across the globe.

FEATURES:

Documents the major impacts on wildlife, ecological communities, sites of biodiversity significance and Indigenous cultural values.

Explores the extraordinary collaborative response to attempt to recover impacted species and environments.

Provides perspectives from people involved in the fire management and recovery.

Identifies necessary learnings to reduce the chance of future such catastrophes, to be better prepared and better enable recovery.

Includes responses and recommendations that will be broadly applicable to comparable environmental catastrophes around the world.