WWF-AUSTRALIA BUSHFIRE RESPONSE

The document outlines WWF-Australia's two-wave response to the 2019-2020 bushfires. Wave 1 focused on emergency wildlife response, including food drops for brush-tailed rock-wallabies, veterinary triage for koalas, and monitoring the Kangaroo Island dunnart. Wave 2 shifts toward long-term goals: protecting unburnt habitat, advocating for the 'endangered' listing of koalas under the EPBC Act, and promoting Australia as a renewable energy exporter by 2030. The response integrates corporate partnerships and traditional owner knowledge to future-proof landscapes against a warming climate.

• The 2019-2020 bushfire season was the most devastating in Australia's history, burning more than 10.7 million hectares of land since October 2019.
• Emergency food drops, conducted in partnership with Woolworths, Foodbank, and the NSW Government, supported 50 brush-tailed rock-wallaby colonies in the Northern tablelands region to prevent them from perishing due to depleted food sources.
• Veterinary triage efforts in Victoria saw 25 staff treat 215 animals over 40 days, with koalas being the most frequent patients, accounting for 139 of the cases.
• Research by Biolink indicates severe koala population declines since 2001, with Queensland's population crashing by at least 50% and New South Wales seeing a decline between 33% and 61%.
• The 2019-2020 fires significantly impacted the Kangaroo Island glossy black cockatoo, with up to 75% of the population living in a burnt area of 210,000 hectares, which included 60% of their feeding habitat and 93 of 130 artificial nest boxes.
• The Kangaroo Island dunnart, which had 90% of its habitat scorched, has been sighted at a new site in the De Mole catchment, providing hope for the species' survival.
• WWF-Australia is advocating for the federal government to list koalas as 'endangered' in eastern states and is calling for the creation of an independent national Environmental Protection Authority.
• As part of its 'Wave 2' future-proofing strategy, WWF-Australia aims to help the country become a world-leading exporter of renewable energy by 2030.

APA

WWF International (2020). WWF-AUSTRALIA BUSHFIRE RESPONSE. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/1730/WWF-Australia_Bushfire_Response_Update_April_2020.pdf

Chicago

WWF International. WWF-AUSTRALIA BUSHFIRE RESPONSE. 2020. https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/1730/WWF-Australia_Bushfire_Response_Update_April_2020.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=WWF International |title=WWF-AUSTRALIA BUSHFIRE RESPONSE |date=April 2020 |url=https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/1730/WWF-Australia_Bushfire_Response_Update_April_2020.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{wwfinternational2020wwfaustralia, author = {{WWF International}}, title = {{WWF-AUSTRALIA BUSHFIRE RESPONSE}}, institution = {WWF International}, year = {2020}, month = apr, url = {https://www.worldwildlife.org/documents/1730/WWF-Australia_Bushfire_Response_Update_April_2020.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }