Emergency response to the Australian bushfires
Join us on the front line as we help wildlife, restore what was lost, and protect and future-proof Australia.
It was a year we’ll never forget. Even before the challenges of COVID-19, Australia was hit hard by bushfires during summer 2019-20 - the most catastrophic bushfire season ever experienced in the country’s history. So much was lost, and the impacts will be felt for years to come.
Up to 19 million hectares were burnt, with 12.6 million hectares primarily forest and bushland. 33 lives were lost and around 3,094 homes destroyed.
Early in January 2020, WWF estimated that at that time, 1.25 billion animals had been killed. As the fires raged well into March, and destroyed even more habitat, we had a scientific duty to update that figure to understand the true impact on our wildlife and natural landscapes.
An interim report was released six months on from the fires that we commissioned from a team of scientists from Australian universities, and the findings are shocking. Nearly 3 billion animals were impacted by the bushfires.
At the peak of the fires, our focus was to get emergency support to the amazing frontline organisations, rescuing and caring for injured and fire-affected wildlife.
Now that the fires are out, it’s time to focus on the long road to recovery and future-proofing our country for the fire seasons ahead.
As the global pandemic continues, the need for our work does not stop. In fact, nature needs us now more than ever. We continue to work safely through COVID-19 to deliver work on-the-ground with our partners. Discover what is being done in-the-field and how it was made possible.
Australia's nature laws are undergoing a once-in-10-year review. We already lost so much in the fires - will you ask your local politician to protect our wildlife and their remaining homes?
TAKE ACTION NOW