Signs Of Life, Slag Heaps, Green Sprouts, Vast Silences - Australians' Takes On The Burned Territory
I went for a drive out to Tallowa Dam as I heard the fires had been bad there. Bad doesn’t even begin to describe the utter devastation. Melted road signs, split rocks and skeletons told me that for a few days this was literally hell on Earth. However, the speed and force with which the regrowth had commenced was breathtaking and the way that some shoots burst through scorched trunks reminded me of childbirth. There were shoots emanating from everywhere – and quickly. The deepest impression I was left with, though, was the utter silence. Australian bush is usually a riot of noise. I could just hear the trickle of water and the odd insect, and I saw no marsupial life at all.
Simon Ross, Redfern, Sydney, New South Wales
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En route to Mount Wilson on 11 January, I stopped to take in a small portion of the damage. It was a misty, cold morning for January, silent, with no signs of life. My dog Finn trod nervously on the embers. The raw smell hurt my nose and made my eyes water; it must have been a strange experience for him. The ground resembled a giant slag heap with ghostly remains of trees. There were no insects or birds. The only colour apart from black, brown or grey was the occasional faint hint of green from the bases of ferns where new shoots were emerging. The regrowth is great, but the science reminds us diversity will not return.
Patrick Manley, Manly, New South Wales
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We drove along the Kings Highway today. Having seen the extent of the damage along the coast, we believed ourselves immune to further shock. We knew that large inland areas had been severely burnt but knowing something and seeing it are very different things. Change is eternal. Nothing ever goes back to what it was. How much what returns will resemble what existed before is unknowable and this is very likely only a beginning. Even after this stark demonstration of the reality of climate change and the incredible difficulties it is likely to create for future generations, our leaders cling to fossil fuels. We are at the beginning of a long era of climate-driven change. This is now a simple fact.
Laurie, Ulladulla, New South Wales
In the early weeks of Humane Society International’s search and rescue efforts on Kangaroo Island we saw very little live or healthy wildlife. The death and suffering was extremely confronting, but every couple of days we seemed to come across an echidna wandering through the plantations, seemingly without a care in the world, and it never failed to make our hearts soar. Echidnas are incredibly well adapted to fires and their aftermath. Their strong limbs and backward facing hind feet mean they can dig straight down and deal with obstacles rapidly. Tolerance to high carbon dioxide and low oxygen levels means they can hunker down breathing through the soil until they’re safe. They then use torpor to reduce their energy requirements and activity in a post-fire landscape.
Evan Quartermain, Sydney, New South Wales
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https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2020/jul/30/life-and-death-what-readers-in-australia-are-seeing-post-bushfires-aoe
