Between 2019 and 2020, gigantic fires ravaged millions of hectares of forest on the east coast of Australia. This year, as summer is looming and for the third consecutive year, meteorologists are announcing an exceptional level of precipitation, well above normal. Botanists draw the doorbell of alarm, because some endemic tree species could go extinct.
The threat does not come directly from the heavy rains expected this summer, but rather from the combination of humid climate and high temperatures. A perfect cocktail for the proliferation of a disease from South America, which arrived in Australia twelve years ago, and which has already caused enormous damage to certain endemic tree species. “For several years now, these species no longer flower, no longer produce seeds, they become smaller and smaller, and in some cases are killed”details Brett Summerell, scientific director of the Royal Botanic Garden in Sydney.
“There are now 16 species of tropical trees that are on the verge of extinction.”
Brett Summerell, Scientific Director of the Royal Botanic Garden, Sydneyat franceinfo
Until recently, Australian trees resisted fire very well. Unfortunately, they are not immune to diseases, especially those to which they had never been exposed.
Vegetation burned in the fires grew back very quickly, so much so that all the carbon emissions from the fires were reabsorbed a few months later, says a study. But this rainy summer promises to be devastating for the vegetation, but also for certain animal species.
These trees, which are part of the same family as eucalyptus, are structural elements of Australian forests. If they were to disappear, it would cause a snowball effect that would spill over onto the fauna. “If these tree species disappear, the animals that depend on them will either have to find another source of food, if any, or find a new habitat.“explains Bret Summerell.
“We’re talking about koalas, bats, many species of birds. It could have a huge impact on their populations.”
Brett Summerell, Scientific Director of the Royal Botanic Garden, Sydneyat franceinfo
The number of koalas has already decreased considerably these latest years, due to forest fires two years ago, but also deforestation, drought. They were officially recognized last February as an endangered species. The consequences could be dramatic if their only source of food, the leaf eucalyptuswas to disappear.