The East Gippsland galaxias, a native Australian fish, has had 100 per cent of its potential habitat burnt, while more than 70 per cent of the Gippsland water dragon's habitat has been incinerated. The Department of Environment, Land, Water and Planning prepared initial advice on the biodiversity costs of Victoria's bushfires emergency for the state government on Tuesday. It warned that 31 per cent of the state's rainforests had already gone up in flames, as well as 24 per cent of wet or damp forests, and 34 per cent of lowland forests. Of 104 parks managed by Parks Victoria, 34 were entirely burnt out including the Alfred National Park in Cann River and the Lind National Park between Cann River and Orbost.

Leading conservation biologist Professor David Lindenmayer said it would take more than 100 years for wet and damp forests to recover from the ferocity of this season's fires. Of more concern was the increasing severity and regularity of fire seasons, with many of the areas that have already burnt or which are predicted to burn in 2020 being ravaged as recently as 2014. There are grave fears for the Gippsland water dragon. Credit:Ken Irwin "A lot of these areas won’t even have started to recover from the last fire before they get smashed again by another fire, and they won't go back to what they were," Professor Lindenmayer said. "They just collapse into something different."

Professor Lindenmayer said the report showed the urgent need to halt both industrial and salvage logging in old-growth forests in Victoria if threatened species had any hope of surviving. He described calls by the forestry industry to open up native forests for logging this week as "crass" and "revolting", and urged the state government to move to protect the severely damaged habitats of some of the state's most vulnerable plants and animals. A chief task for government was to move into more aggressive forestry management, including controlling feral cats and foxes, which could move into burnt areas to pick off vulnerable native wildlife, and sambar deer, which would eat the regrowth. The department's report supports these recommendations.

A government spokeswoman said the government was discussing the "devastating impact" of the fires with the federal government. "The government’s focus right now is on fighting these fires and keeping Victorians safe," she said. The giant burrowing frog is on the danger list. Credit:Rohan Bilney "We’re aware of the devastating impact the bushfires are having on our native wildlife and biodiversity but the full extent of this is still being determined." The report warns the government to expect "high mortalities" of koalas in and around Mallacoota, and says some species of frogs – including alpine tree frogs, green and golden bell frogs — have lost 70 per cent of their habitats. The giant burrowing frog has lost 40 per cent of its habitat.

Loading More than 25 per cent of the state's greater glider population has been lost. Most populations of lace monitors are at risk. "To date, the fire has burnt in mostly high biodiversity value areas, impacting 9 per cent of the state’s highest biodiversity value areas, and 10 per cent of the next highest biodiversity value areas," the report says. Lastreopsis decomposita, known as the "trim shield" fern, may now be extinct in Victoria.