Adventure and Wilderness

Tasmania’s 2019 bushfires leave world heritage area devastated – in pictures

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Cushion plants. There are five species of cushion plant in alpine regions of Tasmania, four of which are endemic. They support the entire ecosystem, creating rich peaty soils and even narrow streams of water. Some can recover from fire, and may even support the recovery of woody plants. Photograph: Dan Broun

Pictures from Tasmania’s central plateau, shot by wilderness photographer Dan Broun, show the extraordinary damage wrought by more than a week of bushfires following lightning strikes in Australia’s southernmost state on 13 January. The world heritage area was home to a range of unique alpine flora including pencil pines, king billy pines and cushion plants, some more than 1,000 years old. Now more than 10,000ha of land has been incinerated, and ecologist say that, unlike eucalyptus trees, the ancient flora will not recover …

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