TITLE:
Wildfire in Australia during 2019-2020, Its Impact on Health, Biodiversity and Environment with Some Proposals for Risk Management: A Review
AUTHORS:
Md. Kamrul Haque, Md. Abul Kalam Azad, Md. Yeamin Hossain, Tareq Ahmed, Minhaz Uddin, Md. Mukhtar Hossain
KEYWORDS:
Temperature, Rainfall, Human Health, Biodiversity, Environmental Effects
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Environmental Protection,
Vol.12 No.6,
June
25,
2021
ABSTRACT: Wildfire is closely associated with human society and having its effect on earth as well as on its environment for more than 350 million years. It is a very common phenomenon from the ancient period, has hazardous effects on both environment and human life. This study mainly focuses on the review of wildfire of Australia during 2019-2020 regarding its distribution, status of fatality influences on different environmental factors, consequences and some proposals for its mitigation. In this review paper, a modified edition of the principled review methodology was followed in compiling the most reliable data to support the bushfire in Australia belonging to its causes of occurrences and impacts. The bushfire was started in mid-June in 2019, and it is still now burning in hundreds of places of different parts of Australia, and the forest of New South Wales, Northern Territory, Western Australia, Queensland and Victoria were being burnt deadly. The accumulating data exposed the year 2019 as the driest and warmest year with lowest rainfall that might be the potential causes of bushfires in Australia. Moreover, maximum forest land of Australia is covered by naturally grown Eucalyptus trees which are generally flammable and supply oil type fuel during bushfires. Bushfire deteriorates the quality of soil, water and air of the locality up to many hundreds or thousands of kilometers away in increasing the emission of toxic substances and carbon rate. Around more than 3 billion native vertebrates, 143 million mammals, 2.46 billion reptiles, 181 million birds, 51 million frogs were burnt out by bushfires of 2020 in Australia. More than US$110 billion financial loss has been determined due to this fire of Australia. In some cases, it is also helpful for forest land. Sometimes it helps to continue the forest ecosystem by burning unwanted plants, animals and microscopic compounds. To reduce the hazard needs proper land regulation, combination of social governance, sufficient funding, permanent vigilance of all sides are the partial solutions. However, the research helps to find out an overall idea to explore the devastating nature of bushfires, the actual causes of occurrences and recommendations for mitigation of bushfires in Australia as well as assisting researchers those willing for further scientific study. It was also mentioned some effective prologues to reduce the hazardous effects and find some ways to overcome such destructive disaster.