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Impact of extreme fires on biodiversity sparks rethink on fire management

A study involving more than 100 scientists has revealed how Australia's plants and animals responded to the devastating 2019–20 megafires, and the findings could change how we manage bushfire risk.

This research, in the journal Nature, is led by Deakin University's School of Life and Environmental Sciences Professor Don Driscoll. It brings together an extraordinary dataset covering more than 1,300 species and more than 810,000 records of biodiversity from burnt and unburnt areas across eastern, southern, and western Australia.

Australia's megafire wake-up call

In a powerful new video on the paper, Professor Driscoll shares firsthand insights from the field and unpacks the science behind the findings, giving us behind-the-scenes look at how megafires reshape ecosystems and why smarter fire strategies are urgently needed.

The video also sparks important conversations on the need to protect biodiversity and reduce climate-change—and the role we all must play in protecting our environment.

Past burns worsen impact

The study found that 55% of species declined after the fires, particularly in areas already exposed to frequent past burns, while 45% of species became more common. Critically, the results show that the condition of the landscape before a major fire plays a decisive role in determining ecological outcomes.

"Authorities often use frequent fuel-reduction burning to prepare for bushfires—however our findings suggest this primes ecosystems for major disruption when the next wildfire hits," said Professor Driscoll.

Time to rethink fire management

While some fast-recovering plants and animals benefitted, this doesn't offset the severe and widespread declines in other species—especially mammals, which were hit hardest.

These findings challenge the status quo of bushfire management. The widely used practice of fuel-reduction burning may be backfiring ecologically when fires occur.

Instead, Professor Driscoll calls for a national rethink, advocating alternatives such as:

• improved rapid-detection and suppression technologies
• greater protection of unburnt refuges during fires
• support for Indigenous cultural burning practices