Two months after Canada's historic fires, forests are turning into desert and wildlife is disappearing

Arabia Weather - The countries of Europe, Canada and America witnessed an unprecedented wave of devastating fires that dealt a severe blow to wildlife due to climate change.

While the forests in Canada used to flourish with amazing natural scenes colored with beautiful golden autumn colors, today we see the picture in a completely different way. Two months after the fires that broke out in Canada’s forests, the scene became pitch black, with charred black trees and very few small green shoots.

Canada's forests are turning into desert due to fires

In western Quebec, deep in the forest, Anishibani hunter Paul Wabanonik is constantly searching for evidence of moose on his ancestral lands. He is a man who grew up in the hunting tradition with his family from a young age.

Speaking to Agence France-Presse, Wabanonik said: “We usually saw traces of these animals everywhere on the road we take,” but he pointed out that the current scene resembles more of a desert.

What comes after the Canadian fires?

The only visible traces in this forest, which is located hundreds of kilometers north of Montreal, are the effects of the fire that swept through it in June. Previously, this area was full of picturesque natural scenes colored in autumn colors, but now the scene can be described as consisting of brown trees. Blackened or burnt, very few small green shoots can be seen.

There is no longer any vegetation covering the forest, food sources are almost impossible to find, and there is less chance of animals being seen and returning in the near future.

The exact number of animals killed in these fires cannot be determined, but according to estimates by Canadian Wildlife Federation biologist Annie Langlois, there could be "hundreds of thousands" of them, which is a real tragedy.

The Canadian boreal forest is home to 85 species of mammals

From beavers to coyotes, to skunks, wolves, red foxes and bears, the Canadian boreal forest is home to 85 species of mammals, 130 species of fish, and 300 species of birds, including many migratory birds. However, this region was severely damaged by Canada's historic fire season last summer, with fires ravaging an estimated 18 million hectares of land, equivalent to a third of the area of mainland France.

Matthew Mitchell of the University of British Columbia points out that fires have "acute or chronic impacts on wildlife health." "Small animals are often the most vulnerable to the effects of smoke, just like humans, and even marine animals like whales and dolphins are affected when they come up for air," he adds.

Nearly 700 species of animals are threatened with extinction in Canada

Canada is home to nearly 700 species of wildlife that are already considered threatened, largely due to habitat destruction.

In the long term, fires put additional pressure on these environments that have already been damaged by logging. This is the case with the caribou, a species that has great symbolism in Canada and lives in ancient forests.

Agencies