Anthropogenic factors inducing fire are exacerbated by winds in the El Nino years.
While most forest fires are triggered by Man's carelessness... prevalent winds almost add fuel to the fire as it were. Winds can create forest fire even where none exists. Just the friction between two bristling twigs can ignite fires. However forest fires are exacerbated during El Nino years. Indonesia and Brazil's Amazon rainforests are particularly vulnerable to forest fire. The emissions emanating from the forest fire add to global warming and Climate Change. Both El Nino and La nina have the greatest impact on the tropical belt of planet earth where weather is more stable and temperatures are not violently variable.
In this satellite picture the emissions from forest fires in Borneo / Kalimantan province of Indonesia are seen in the atmosphere. Intense forest fires trigger emissions and increase in ambient temperatures contributing to increase in micro and macro climates. It is during El Nino years that the winds exacerbate forest fires across hemispheres posing a threat to global Climate Change cycles.
Forest fires devastate tropical forests and green belts.
Not only do forest fires devastate forests and ecosystem for wildlife, but they trigger Carbon emissions destroying the very carbon sinks that wet evergreen rainforests are.
Forest staf preempt spread of forest fire by lighting up leaf litter during the fire season in the subcontinent. Mismanagement can lead to large tracts of forests withering away in forest fire.
Grassland ecosystem is far more vulnerable to forest fire than any other ecosystem.
Human Beings' carbon footprint in the most sensitive of ecosystems... a forest on the river shore. Political will is lacking to enforce conservation laws.
Embers from a forest fire in the Tropics.
A tropical forest fire is lit by careless man...
Skeletal remains for a forest fire.
Tree nesting creatures like birds, squirrels, snakes, are highly traumatised and face the battle of survival during forest fires... invariably caused by man's careless fling of the cigarette butt.
Man's carbon footprint on the carbon siks that the forests are.
Embers fly on the forest horizon making it look like a fault line spewing fire! Its the forest fire tract, created by forest department staff to contain fires inside a block ... demarcated by fire tracts.
Embers and flames consume the forest.
Forest Fire scalding Siberian pine forests.
Forest fire scalding pine forests.
The aftermath of a forest fire in a pine forest.
Forest fire seen here searing through tropical broad leaved forests.
Forest fires seen here scalding the forest floor in a pine forest.
It is humanly impossible to put out the fumes of the uncontrolled forest fires.
Inviolate conservation of carbon sinks - biodiversity dense areas are a must to mitigate Climate Change.
Loss of habitat in Australia is both cause and consequence of forest fires.
Australian forest fires are increasing so much that they not only exacerbate temperatures in micro climate but are also triggering forest fires.
Forest fires in Australia allude to he inevitable triggers in Australia - man mae fires because Man has encroached forest land.
Forest fire management is onerous in both tropical and temperate forests.
Bare grasslands allude to the slash and burn traditions of burning forests in certain parts of Asia. Slash and burn does not augur well for anything more than subsistence farming and is not compatible to commercial agriculture.
Embers of a tropical forest fire.
Undergrowth of the forest floor in pine forests have it tough even without fires.
Ground nesting creatures like this Skink have it very tough during forest fires.
Fires ravaging pine forests 1.
Fires ravaging pine forests 2.
Fires ravaging pine forests 3. Pine forests are particularly vulnerable to forest fires.
Fires ravaging pine forests 4. In tropical broad leaved deciduous forests the wildlife is very vulnerable.
Combating forest fires during El Nino years is very challenging, nearly impossible.
Reptiles are particularly vulnerable to Climate Change. Increase in ambient temperatres will increase te population of females of reptiles. This can trigger skewed gender raions and threaten future generations of the species... again leading to annihilation of the species. the time for man to heed Climate Change has never been greater.
The Green anaconda is particularly vulnerable. Any genetic change in ther numbers can prove detrimental to the species.
The South American Jaguar with distinct rosettes unlike is close cousins in Africa and Asia (Leopards) which have scattered spots is the most ferocious hunter of the Pantanal in Southern Brazil. Jaguars are known to hunt even predator species like Caimans Tapirs and the odd human being. Shrinking habitat is increasingly stressing the cat to the edge f human habitat and increasing human wildlife conflict.
The Jaguar has just spotted a potential prey...
Loss of habitat because of forest fire can genetically isolate herds or groups of animals. Inbreeding in isolated groups leads to genetic mutation and they will then have a weaker resistance against factors of survival. Species extinction is then inevitable. Awareness, thus is of critical significance.
Anthropogenic factors inducing fire are exacerbated by winds in the El Nino years. So, Man has to be very careful not to incite fires in sensitive ecosystems, all the more so in El Nino years.
At home on both land and fresh waters of the Amazon, the Tapirs are the largest rodent on Planet Earth. Though they have a role in the ecosystem,
Macaws belong to the parrot family of birds. Frugivorous birds like Macaws and all parrots will lack food when forests burn.
Inbreeding amongst endangered species is a sure path to extinction.
Habitat loss is traumatic to Parrots of the Amazon Basin forests.
Water bodies shrink durng drought years traumatising herd animals like elephants.
Pygmy elephants in Borneo / Kalimantan are a geomorphological adaptation to increase in sea level and are a manifestation of genetic isolation and inbreeding.
Reptiles like this Skink are very vulnerable to moisture stress as their habitat is the North American desert. Without the little water they get their survival is at stake.
A jaguar in its habitat.
The emotion on the face of the Jaguar captures the natural history challenge to the South American predator - Jaguar.
Reearch regarding impact of Climate Change on natural history behaviour is still a work in progress.
The trauma to the Anaconda on account of loss of habitat - because of desertification following forest fire shows in this picture.
This Orangutan and her baby are isolated from their herd and habitat and are traumatised.
Another example of isolation because of forest fire induced habitat loss.
Red Macaws isolated from their group.
A disoriented Blue Macaw searching for its family after losing its track when the Amazon forest caught fire.
Another pair of Macas searhing for their family. This is when they are vulnerable to being caught for illegal wildlife trade.
The desert living Diamond back - a highly venomous creature can be traumatised by forests in the desert ecosystem.
The Reticulated Python - one of the largest snakes on planet earth occurs in the Tropics of South and South East Asia. It is so huge that it is least threatened by Man. It is known to be a man eater. Climate Change will have a severe impact on pyramid species of reptiles like Reticulated Python. Scientists aver that reptiles are the first to adapt to rising sea levels. Research is still a work in progress but the Borneon Sea Snake and the Yellow Bellied Sea Snakes can be traced to offshoots of pyramid species of reptiles like Reticulated Python.
The size of the present day Anaconda is supposed to be a dwarf in comparison to the Giant Anaconda of an age before the Last Glacial Maximum. Mitigating anthropogenic factors that trigger Climate Change is critical.
Pictures: Pixabay; Text and Photo captions: Malini Shankar
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