Are industrial scale burns incinerating Australian biodiversity?

"The “industrial” scale burns which are designed to “process landscapes as efficiently as possible” are known to frequently kill – in 2022, Victorian authorities accidentally incinerated several koalas when they set a forest alight, and evidence suggests fires set in Tasmania have killed endangered devils."

"A complete “rethink” of fire management practices by state authorities" is needed.
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https://au.news.yahoo.com/rare-aussie-bird-under-threat-over-common-tree-practice-catastrophic-061116403.html

Driscoll, D.A., Macdonald, K.J., Gibson, R.K. et al. Biodiversity impacts of the 2019–2020 Australian megafires. Nature (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-08174-6
#Biodiversity #bushfires #fires #megafires #PyroConvectiveStorms #incineration #pileburning #sprawl #destruction #wildlife #birds #GlossyBlackCockatoos #koalas #CulturalBurning #ExtinctionCrisis #FossilFuels

Smoke pollution from wildfires may be killing an extra 12,000 people a year, new research suggests

"Hundreds died from the effects of smoke inhalation caused by Australia’s 2019-2020 black summer bushfires and many more are likely to have long-term health issues."

"Global heating is causing more of the planet to be burned from wildfires and probably killing an extra 12,000 people a year from breathing in smoke, according to new research."
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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2024/oct/22/smoke-pollution-from-wildfires-may-be-killing-an-extra-12000-people-a-year-new-research-suggests
#smoke #pollution #bushfires #fires #pileburning #loggingIndustry #deforestation #humidity #FossilFuels #GHG #PublicHealth #mortality #health #air #breathing #BlackSummer

The Rural Fire Service suspects up to a dozen weekend bushfires deliberately lit in northern NSW
"RFS crews worked to contain more than 170 bushfires across the state, with 12 suspected of being deliberately lit."
https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-08-23/rfs-suspects-weekend-bushfires-northern-nsw-deliberately-lit/102758390

Australians urged to prepare for most significant bushfire season since black summer
https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2023/aug/23/australian-bushfire-season-how-to-prepare

#bushfires #smoke #arson #crime #AntisocialBehaviour #NSW #MidNorthCoast #HazardReduction #PileBurning #oops #climate #GHG

The time has come in #Bellingen to engage in the cultural tradition of pile burning.

Mostly hobby farmers on various acres collect their garden and bush cut offs and make huge piles during the season. It 'tidies up' the garden or block and makes a huge bonfire in the cool season.

The piles can be seen in most places growing meters high. In the duration of a few months many native #wildlife species take them to be a good home. They move in. When the petrol and lighter ignites the heap, the panicked creatures flee their shelter. Often birds of prey, having worked out the game, circle and get a rich catch.

Many chuck in some garbage too, plastic, batteries etc. The ambient air pollution is carried far and wide and often is left unattended to smolder for hours or even days.
The pile fires of the five acre kingdoms are the equivalent of the larger version of slash and burn on larger estates.

The law, the RFS and the neighbours have to be notified of fires, just in case they get out of control, as they often do. But “out here” no one cares. The #law diminishes at the periphery in minds and actions. Just a bit more atmospheric pollution, a few more choking lungs full of (toxic) #smoke. A tradition worth keeping.

Notify us of your planned burn
https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/fire-information/BFDP/burn-notifications

Standards for Pile Burning
https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0012/13323/Standards-for-Pile-Burning.pdf

Open burning - reducing air pollution from fires
https://www.epa.nsw.gov.au/your-environment/air/open-burning-reducing-pollution
#Combustion #Fires #Pollution #Climate #PileBurning #LandUse #Prometheus #Culture #Birds