Tom Oliver

It is a widely used estimate that nearly half a billion (480 million euros), The Animals were sacrificed, The Fire to the Bush in Australia.

It is a number that came from Prof Chris Dickman is an expert on Australian biodiversity at the University of Sydney.

he explains how he had achieved the Figure - a statement of the killed, The Number of affected animals rather than those who necessarily die as a direct result of The Fire (although the title of the release-talk of 480 million euros).

The figures are based on The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) on the effects of land clearing on Australian wildlife in New South Wales .

It is estimated that there were an average of 17. 5 mammals, 20. 7 birds and 129. 5 reptiles per hectare (10,000 square meters, so that a square 100m on each Side - about the size of a rugby playing field).

you have then multiplied that by the amount of land hit by the fires.

"We have estimated that in the three million hectares in New South Wales alone, were burned, up to about 10 days, that probably as Many would have been than 480 million mammals, birds and reptiles affected by The Fire ," Prof Dickman said.

"in fact, the large animals, such as kangaroos or emus - Many birds, of course, be able to get away from The Fire as it approaches," he said of Breakfast the BBC.

"I think that it is the less mobile species, and smaller, which is dependent on The Forest itself, which are really in the Firing Line . "

But he added that Many of those who survived that would die from the actual fire, and later, because of the lack of food or shelter.

Colin Beale, an ecologist from the University of York, said to be a "Reality Check " that may have been exaggerated.

He said: "In the areas of Africa, where I work, I'm pretty sure that very few birds die as a direct result of The Fire . You Will certainly have the ability to fly away from The Fire , and this is certainly the case in Australia. "

There are a few precautions with these numbers. First of all, the estimate for the damage only in New South Wales , and The Fire on Victoria.

the three-million-acre Figure is a little out of Date - the fires have spread since then. So, it is likely that more animals affected than the estimate.

But it is important to remember that this is only an estimate, the authors, the figures are deliberately conservative. The Number of reptiles is particularly uncertain, and reptiles have three-quarters of the affected animals in these calculations.

"density estimates are not available for Many species, so that they are appreciated, can had to be said from the known densities of the other species", Tom Oliver , professor of applied ecology at the University of Reading, to Examine the reality.

"For reptiles, there are no density estimates of each species at all, only an estimate from a single study (Ehmann and Cogger 1985), the estimates of 10 individuals per species per hectare. "

Colin Beale added: "it fires it is difficult to find estimates of how well the reptiles survive, live in similar areas of Australia, most of these reptiles in the ground is. "

"The Soil is a very good thermal insulator and burrowing reptiles can certainly. a very low mortality, even with intensive

fires ""It seems extremely unlikely that the majority of the affected animals killed, by The Fire , but we can still ask whether they can survive in the long term. "

Source of news: bbc.com