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Images of scorched kangaroos and smoky koalas were ubiquitous during the devastating Black Summer bushfires of 2019-20.
As millions of hectares of habitat went up in flames, an estimated 3 billion animals were caught in the fire zone. Countless dedicated volunteers rushed to their aid.
Amid the chaos and destruction, it was impossible to know how many were rescued, nurtured back to health and returned to the wild.
Catherine Herbert and colleagues analysed marsupial rescue, rehabilitation and release statistics from two of the worst-affected regions: New South Wales and Kangaroo Island.
Despite an estimated 46.8 million marsupials in the NSW fire zone, only 889 marsupial rescues were reported. Just 618 marsupial rescues were reported on Kangaroo Island. And unfortunately, despite the best efforts of volunteers, many of them died anyway.
But as our authors write, we can use this information to improve our response to future disasters: “Knowledge of the likely chance of recovery from different injuries can be used to refine treatment for each species. This will allow volunteers and veterinarians to prioritise rehabilitation efforts and minimise animal suffering.”
And speaking of the Black Summer fires, it’s hard to forget the long, terrible drought which contributed to that tragedy, by creating a tinder-dry landscape ready to erupt in flames. Well, new research shows this continent has seen even worse droughts over the past 1,000 years – some lasting up to 20 years. Add in the effects of climate change, and the results suggest future droughts in Australia will be far worse than we imagined.
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Clare Peddie
Deputy Environment + Energy Editor
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Catherine Herbert, University of Sydney; Chris Dickman, University of Sydney; Holly Cope, University of Sydney; Rachael Gray, University of Sydney
Marsupial rescue, rehabilitation and release statistics from New South Wales and Kangaroo Island during Black Summer fires reveal poor survival rates, despite the courageous efforts of volunteers.
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Georgina Falster, Australian National University; Nerilie Abram, Australian National University; Nicky Wright, University of Sydney
Natural variability in Australian rainfall can produce “mega-droughts” lasting 20 years or more. Add in human-caused climate change, and future droughts may be far worse than imagined.
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Allen Cheng, Monash University
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Michelle Grattan, University of Canberra
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Mark Wooden, The University of Melbourne
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Nial Wheate, University of Sydney; Shoohb Alassadi, University of Sydney
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Garritt C. Van Dyk, University of Newcastle
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Ha Nguyen, Victoria University; Peter Hurley, Victoria University; Sam Hoang, Victoria University
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Peter Martin, Crawford School of Public Policy, Australian National University
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Aaron J. Cavosie, Curtin University
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Nick Haslam, The University of Melbourne
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Politics + Society
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Kathryn Daley, RMIT University
Tracking young people who are accused of serious crimes will not actually reduce youth crime - in fact, it may well entrench it.
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Health + Medicine
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Juliana S. Oliveira, University of Sydney; Anne Tiedemann, University of Sydney; Cathie Sherrington, University of Sydney; Leanne Hassett, University of Sydney
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Business + Economy
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Martien Lubberink, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington
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