Our scientists are working to provide the best available information and data to understand how the 2019–20 fires are affecting the New South Wales environment and communities.

The 2019–20 bushfires in New South Wales (NSW) have been unprecedented in their extent and intensity. As of 3 February 2020, the fire ground in NSW covers 5.4 million hectares (7% of the state), including 2.7 million hectares in national parks (37% of the NSW park system).

In May 2020, the NSW Fire and the Environment 2019–20 Summary was published, which details our first assessment of the effects of the fires on NSW biodiversity and landscape values. This report also includes a post-fire analysis of indicators from the Biodiversity Indicator Program, and is a companion document to the first NSW Biodiversity Outlook Report.

We will not understand the full impact of the 2019–20 fires until we are able to gather and analyse all the fire-event data, which will not be for some time. We need to wait until it is safe to access burnt areas, as well as waiting to see how the landscape responds to the fires (for example, if regrowth appears) and other time dependent factors.

The period immediately after a fire is critical for the survival of injured animals and for threatened species.

Our priority is to support those people and organisations involved in the recovery of our injured wildlife and burnt areas.

Our scientists are collecting data on fire extent and severity to build up-to-date maps, ensuring that the best available information is provided to decision makers as quickly as possible.

This information is shared across emergency response agencies like NSW Rural Fire Service (RFS) and with environmental organisations to support conservation decisions and on-ground actions.

What do we know so far?

As more data comes through about the fire events, the maps are being updated. Check this page regularly for the most current information.

In NSW, the fires have been concentrated along the Great Dividing Range and adjacent tablelands and on coastal environments.