A secret mission has saved the last natural site in the world of Wollemi pines, one of the prehistoric trees discovered in 1994, from one of the fires ravaging Australia, officials said on Wednesday.
Less than 200 of these protected trees still exist in their natural state, hidden in a gorge in the Blue Mountain, a mountainous area located northwest of Sydney and classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The region has been hit by one of the giant fires that have plagued Australia for several months.
A species over 200 million years old
"An unprecedented environmental protection mission" was then carried out to save these trees, said in a statement Matt Kean, Minister of the Environment for New South Wales, a state in south-eastern Australia.
The precious pines, a species over 200 million years old, were considered extinct until the site was discovered in 1994 in New South Wales in the Wollemi Natural Park, where their name. The location of the pines, sometimes nicknamed “dinosaur trees”, has been a well-kept secret to protect them from contamination by visitors.
In late 2019, as the flames approached the protected area, Australian firefighters used water bombers to drop retardant in a protective ring around the pines. And specialized firefighters were hoisted in the throat where the trees are hiding to install an irrigation system to provide them with moisture, officials said.
"The fire went well in the area, we had several days of thick smoke so we could not know if they had been hit. We all waited anxiously, "said Matt Kean on ABC radio, but ultimately" the operation was a phenomenal success. "
Illegal visits, a "threat"
Since their discovery in 1994, Wollemi pines have been distributed in botanical gardens around the world to preserve the species. But the gorge that has just been saved from fire is the only site where these trees are still found in their natural state.
And this site is carefully protected. "Illegal visits remain a threat to the survival of Wollemi pines in the wild due to the risk of trampling of new growth and the introduction of diseases that could devastate the remaining population," said Matt Kean.
Since October, Australian forest fires have left 28 dead, destroyed more than 2,000 homes and burned 10 million hectares, an area larger than that of South Korea or Portugal. Nearly a billion animals may have died in the fires, and many species are now threatened with extinction, according to environmental organizations.
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