Macquarie Marshes Bushfire Burns 3,000 Hectares

A bushfire burned 3,000 hectares of the area globally known as the Macquarie Marshes. The incident questioned the long-term viability of an essential part of the wetland, according to a leading expert.

New South Wales National Parks affirmed the incident of a wildfire hit in the northern reed bed of the wetlands, which is supposedly covered under the Ramsar convention as a wetland of international significance.

What happened?

The bushfire was reported at 1:25 pm (Australian local time) on Sunday, according to an NSW Rural Fire Service spokesperson. The blaze was contained by 10 am (Australian local time) but approximately three thousand hectares was razed by the fire.

The Wildlife Service spokesperson added the fire started after a lightning storm burnt the main reed-bed area, which was part of the Ramsar site.

"Macquarie Marshes has a [history] of wildfire, with areas of the main reed bed burning in previous years and is likewise the subject of hazard reduction operations," the spokesperson said. The official added that the reed-bed area responds well to post-fire treatments after the rainfall.

The marshes in central north-west of New South Wales are deemed to be among Australia's most crucial inland nesting sites for waterbirds. The reed bed also serves as an essential habitat for the threatened Australasian bittern.

Fire in Macquarie Marsh 'alarming' - expert

A director of the Centre for Ecosystem Science at the University of New South Wales, expressed concern on the long-term viability of the wetland's northern part - particularly the reed-bed swamp.

Professor Richard Kingsford noted that the southern reed bed deteriorated because of the lack of irrigation. "We have to avoid going the same way with the north," he added, explaining that the reed beds would burn at times due to humidity.

The professor said he is "worried" about the fire. "They can go down to the roots, and that's when you get damage," he explained.

Kingsford and his team checked the "incredibly dry" swamps two weeks ago. He told the Guardian Australia that he and his team saw only four - two masked lapwings and two pied stilts in the area where they expected to see thousands of birds.

The professor, in his 37 years of surveying, noted that the numbers had been so low during Australia's millennium drought. He believed that a lot of birds die during these long, extended dry periods.

Kingsford also added they have received reports on how rural Australia is "hurting" and he claime that this is a clear example that the environment is being "damaged" as well.

The drought-hit wetlands existed in the region for between 6,000 and 8,000 years, according to studies. The Australian government notified the Ramsar Convention in 2009 that the wetlands are facing "ecological character" problems since they were first listed in 1986.

Garry Hall, a fourth-generation landowner near the marshes, said there had been environmental water has not reached the damaged section since November 2018. He also said that the drought makes the swamp more 'prone' to catching fires.

Hall, president of the Macquarie Marshes Environmental Landholders Association, said that even if rain did come, other upstream demands would likely take precedence for allocation of water supply well ahead of the marshes.