Phil Zylstra's story of Alpine Bushfires
Kosciuszko NP, NSW, 21 June 2007Phil Zylstra works in the fire unit of the National Parks and Wildlife Service, Jindabyne, which is in the Snowy Mountains in the south east of Australia. His job includes fighting fires, researching bush fire behaviour and developing strategies for fighting future fires.
Throughout history very hot fires were uncommon in the mountains, now however Phil tells a different story. The weather has become warmer and there is less snow in the winter. This has resulted in more frequent and more intense fires.
Climate change will continue to have a big impact not only on the work of Phil and his colleagues but also on the native flora and fauna in the area. The latest work indicates that by 2050 there will be little snow on the mountains. This will affect many small mammals that rely on the snow cover and may also result in the loss of up to 200 species of alpine plants that don’t occur anywhere else in Australia.
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