A group of experts have arrived in the Simpson Desert in Queensland’s far west to study the impact of last year’s massive bushfires. About 800,000 hectares of national park land and adjoining grazing properties was burnt in the blazes.
An ecologist with the Australian Bush Heritage conservation group, Max Tischler, says it is not known how native animals coped with the fires and the scientists are keen to map the area burnt.
“As part of this project we are hoping to collaborate with the Department of Environment and Resource Management and also with the Sydney University ratcatchers that have been working out in that area as well,” he told the ABC. “We’re not sure exactly how much of that country has burnt but we know that it was a fair bit. Whether it was a good thing or a bad thing, that’s very difficult to say but because it is part of the natural cycle, we are just trying to understand the dynamics and how it works.”
He told the national broadcaster that while there have been some big floods in recent years through the Channel Country, feral animal numbers have also increased and are now posing a threat to some species.
“We haven’t had a big rainfall season in far western Queensland anyway,” he said. “The boom we’ve experienced over the last couple of years is probably going to start to wane off now. We should see animal numbers now starting to come down.”
* Parks Australia is to begin burning areas of Uluru Kata Tjuta National Park around Uluru in the Northern Territory next week as a precaution against bushfires. Parks Australia acting manager Kerry Benison says the burns will continue until August. The aim is to burn about 25% of the park area.
