Paleobotany reframes the fiery debate on Australia's rainforest edges

Fossil evidence from Argentina and eastern Australia reveals that biodiverse rainforests with abundant Eucalyptus existed over 50 million years ago, shaped by nonfire disturbances like landslides and volcanic flows. The dominance of fire-adapted eucalypts is linked to more recent geological and climatic changes, including C4 grassland expansion and human activity. This challenges the narrative that tall eucalypt forests (TEFs) are threatened by 'invasive' neighboring rainforests, suggesting instead that both ecosystems are part of a single humid forest system with ancient, evolving interactions. The study urges a reevaluation of management practices to protect the outstanding World Heritage values and carbon storage of these areas, emphasizing the need for restoration and research focused on rainforest margins.

Wilf, P., & Kooyman, R. M. (2024). Paleobotany reframes the fiery debate on Australia’s rainforest edges. New Phytologist, 245(4), 1355–1365. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/nph.20301