What type of rainforest burnt in the South East Queensland's 2019/20 bushfires and how might this impact biodiversity

During Australia's 2019/20 bushfires, 12% of South East Queensland's (SEQ) rainforest estate, including parts of the UNESCO World Heritage Gondwana Rainforests, was affected by fires. Surprisingly, the wettest rainforest types and putative past refugia experienced higher burn rates than expected, challenging traditional assumptions about fire resilience in such ecosystems. The study used NIAFED data combined with regional ecosystem mapping to estimate burn areas and severity, revealing that while most fires were low-severity, patches of high severity occurred. Biodiversity impacts were assessed using previous estimates for each rainforest type, highlighting the potential threat to endangered rainforest species like semi-evergreen vine thickets on igneous rocks, where 50% of remnants may have burned. The findings suggest that under drought conditions, any rainforest is vulnerable, implying a contraction of rainforest areas if climate change exacerbates wildfires and droughts.

Thorley, J., Srivastava, S. K., & Shapcott, A. (2023). What type of rainforest burnt in the South East Queensland’s 2019/20 bushfires and how might this impact biodiversity. Austral Ecology, 48(3), 616–642. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/aec.13293