Extreme heat pushing Australia's farms, wildlife to limits, study warns

Canberra: Australia's record-breaking heatwave in late January, with inland temperatures reaching 50 degrees Celsius, has inflicted severe damage on agriculture and wildlife, scientists warn.

Thousands of flying foxes died in the state of South Australia, while mango growers in the state of Western Australia reported fruit "boiled" on trees, according to an article published on The Conversation website on Wednesday.

These increasingly extreme heatwaves now threaten crops, livestock, wildlife and ecosystems, said the article by Owen Atkin, director of the Agrifood Innovation Institute, Australian National University (ANU), and ANU ecology professor Adrienne Nicotra, with two co-authors. (IANS)

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