Hundreds were ordered to evacuate due to bushfires in Victoria, Australia

Officials in the Australian state of Victoria have warned of the danger of raging forest fires, which have forced authorities to issue evacuation orders for hundreds of residents.
The fire has gotten out of control in the Grampians National Park area, west of Melbourne, and threatens the surrounding countryside.

Forest fires in Australia

Deputy Fire Chief Gary Cook explained that the fire posed a major challenge because there was “a lot of unburned fuel.”
The authorities also continue to warn residents of the danger, especially as the official holiday “Boxing Day” approaches.
The WWF estimated that more than 60,000 koalas died, were injured, or were displaced in the Australian bushfires last summer.

Victims of bushfires in Australia

Prime Minister Scott Morrison described the bushfires as Australia’s “Black Summer,” claiming the lives of 33 people and destroying more than 59 million acres in the country.
Even before the fires, koala habitats were rapidly deteriorating due to land clearing for agriculture, urban development, mining and forestry.

A report issued by a committee of koala experts in 2016 estimated the koala population in Australia at about 329,000, but forest fires have occurred annually since then, which has reduced the number further.

Supporting the mental health of those affected

In the same context, the Australian charity “Lifeline” launched a phone line dedicated to supporting the mental health of those affected and survivors of the devastating forest fires, which destroyed vast areas of land across the country.
It launched the hotline to support recovery from the bushfire crisis at an event in Sydney, and it operates throughout Australia day and night every day.
Unsustainable agriculture and deforestation threaten the Earth’s ability to sustain human societies, according to warnings from the United Nations, on the eve of the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties to the International Convention to Combat Desertification (COP16).
A group of scientists said in a report that forest loss and soil degradation reduce the ability to adapt to climate change and biodiversity loss, pushing the world into the abyss.