so that s effectively ecosystem collapse. kangaroo island s story since the fires is one of extraordinary resilience and recovery. separated from the mainland 10,000 years ago, it lies just off the coast of south australia, and it s the country s third largest island. scientists say the interaction between plants and animals here provides a biological window into the past, a kind of noah s ark of australian wildlife. but with the island s iron rich soils a magnet for lightning, the cataclysmic events of australia s black summer conspired against it. almost half the island around 200,000 hectares burned. here we re coming up to the area where the fire
eucalyptus don t have dormant seeds. so because of the sheer scale it is highly unlikely that eucalyptus will be regenerating or germinating where whole mountainsides are dead below it. so that is effectively ecosystem collapse. kangaroo island s story since the fires is one of extraordinary resilience and recovery. separated from the mainland 10,000 years ago, it lies at the coast of sa, and is the country s third largest island. scientists say the interaction between plants and animals here provides a biological window into the past, a kind of noah s ark of australian wildlife.
experienced on this continent. here on its bird edges, life will never be the same. the areas of will never be the same. the areas of grey will never be the same. the areas of grey forest - will never be the same. tue: areas of grey forest visible will never be the same. tte: areas of grey forest visible in the distance are dead. a fire under a 90 kilometre win burnt through and there has been widespread mortality. eucalyptus don t have dormancy is. so because of the sheer scale it is highly unlikely that eucalyptus will be regenerating or germinating where whole mountainside is are dead below it. so that is effectively ecosystem collapse. kangaroo island s story since the fires is one of extraordinary resilience and recovery. separated from the
experienced on this continent. here on its burnt edges, life will never be the same. the areas of grey forest visible in the distance are dead. where the crown fire under a 90 kilometre wind burnt through and there s been widespread mortality. eucalypts don t have dormant seeds. so because of the sheer scale, it s highly unlikely that eucalypts will be regenerating or germinating where whole mountainside is are dead below us. so that s effectively ecosystem collapse. kangaroo island s story since the fires is one of extraordinary resilience and recovery. separated from the mainland
Abstract
Globally, collapse of ecosystems potentially irreversible change to ecosystem structure, composition and function imperils biodiversity, human health and well-being. We examine the current state and recent trajectories of 19 ecosystems, spanning 58° of latitude across 7.7 M km , from Australia s coral reefs to terrestrial Antarctica. Pressures from global climate change and regional human impacts, occurring as chronic ‘presses’ and/or acute ‘pulses’, drive ecosystem collapse. Ecosystem responses to 5–17 pressures were categorised as four collapse profiles abrupt, smooth, stepped and fluctuating. The manifestation of widespread ecosystem collapse is a stark warning of the necessity to take action. We present a three-step assessment and management framework (3As Pathway Awareness, Anticipation and Action) to aid strategic and effective mitigation to alleviate further degradation to help secure our future. 2