‘We shouldn’t be surprised’: bushfires in Victoria push threatened species to the brink

The impact of fires on wildlife can be ‘catastrophic’, with some plant species feared extinctGet our breaking news email, free app or daily news podcastAs tinderbox conditions continue to hamper wildlife assessment and rescue efforts, bushfires in Victoria have burned habitat crucial to bird and animal species, including eastern bristlebirds and dingoes.
Some plant species are feared extinct.Prof Don Driscoll, a terrestrial ecologist at Deakin University, said he was particularly concerned for the state’s population of endangered eastern bristlebirds – shy songbirds with cinnamon-brown feathers – after fires near Mallacoota burned about 60% of their habitat at Howe Flat. Continue reading...