KBAs on Fire - An update from the Guardians of the most affected KBAs

Australia’s 334 Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) are the jewel in the crown of our country’s unique natural beauty and riches. Sadly, these areas have not been spared the destruction of Australia’s bushfire crisis, in fact, ten KBAs had around 30% and up to 100% of their area burnt. The full consequences for the species that call these areas home are, as of yet, unclear. Luckily most of these areas have a KBA Guardian or Guardian group with long-standing bird survey sites and strong relationships with local landholders and agencies. Thanks to their work we know that not all that is burnt is lost to the birds, e.g. miraculously, some of the most reliable survey sites for Rufous scrub-bird have escaped the fires. Everyone, can help getting this positive message out: There is no reason to be despondent but rather a need for good data to guide the species saving action so many Australian’s donated for. Many volunteers are keen to get out into KBAs to collect this information and as KBAs become accessible safely we encourage them to record birdata surveys at established sites.