消防員拯救了澳大利亞早于恐龍出現(xiàn)之前的小樹林

消防員拯救了澳大利亞早于恐龍出現(xiàn)之前的小樹林

While firefighters — and a few very good dogs — scramble to get people and animals out of regions affected by Australia's devastating bushfires, there are a handful of residents that would die before they flee.

當消防隊員和幾只優(yōu)秀的狗狗們正忙著把人和動物趕出受澳大利亞毀滅性的森林大火影響的地區(qū)時，卻有少數(shù)居民在逃離之前就已經(jīng)喪命。

Even 90-million-year-old trees need a lifeline amid the devastation in Australia. (Photo: Nita In Wanderland/Shutterstock)

They trace their roots in the area to a time before humans, and even dinosaurs, roamed the land.

它們的起源可以追溯到人類，甚至恐龍在這片土地上游蕩之前。

Besides, you can't exactly airlift a tree to safety.

此外，你不可能把一棵樹空運到安全的地方。

So instead, rescue workers have come up with a new plan to save the ancient and incredibly rare Wollemi pines that were besieged by fire. Only about 200 of the pines, also known as "dinosaur trees" are around today, clustered in a national park in New South Wales. Their exact location has long been kept secret to keep them safe.

因此，救援人員想出了一個新的計劃來拯救被大火圍困的古老而罕見的沃勒米松。今天，在新南威爾士州的一個國家公園里，只有大約200棵松樹，也被稱為“恐龍樹”。它們的確切位置長期以來一直保密，以保證它們的安全。

But bushfires don't discriminate. In New South Wales and Victoria — two of the hardest hit states — at least 28 people have died, along with millions of animals, according to CNN.

但叢林火災(zāi)不會歧視。據(jù)CNN報道，新南威爾士州和維多利亞州是受災(zāi)最嚴重的兩個州，至少有28人死亡，數(shù)百萬動物死亡。

A firefighter battles a blaze in New South Wales. (Photo: EdwardsMediaOnline/Shutterstock.com)

After 90 million years on this planet — a tenure that has seen their numbers dwindle from an estimated 34 million to a meager 200 today — the Wollemi pines faced the prospect of a fiery end.

在這個星球上生活了9000萬年之后——在此期間，它們的數(shù)量從大約3400萬減少到今天的區(qū)區(qū)200萬——沃勒米松樹面臨著燃燒的結(jié)局。

That is until humans stepped in.

直到人類介入。

Instead of a rescue operation, a special contingent focused on fortifying the pines. According to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, air tankers were dispatched this week to encircle the trees with fire retardant. An irrigation system was hastily dug around the grove. And since the trees occupy a slender canyon in the park, rescuers had to rappel into the area to ensure the ground remained wet.

他們沒有采取救援行動，而是集中力量加固松林。據(jù)澳大利亞廣播公司報道，本周已派出空中加油機，用阻燃劑包圍這些樹木。在樹林周圍倉促地挖了一個灌溉系統(tǒng)。由于樹木占據(jù)了公園中一個狹窄的峽谷，救援人員不得不順著繩索進入該地區(qū)，以確保地面保持濕潤。

"Wollemi National Park is the only place in the world where these trees are found in the wild and, with less than 200 left, we knew we needed to do everything we could to save them," New South Wales environment minister Matt Kean explained to CNN in a statement.

新南威爾士州環(huán)境部長馬特·基恩在一份聲明中向CNN解釋說:“沃勒米國家公園是世界上唯一一個在野外發(fā)現(xiàn)這些樹的地方，現(xiàn)在只剩下不到200棵了，我們知道我們需要盡一切努力來拯救它們。”

While much-needed rain began falling on parts of the parched continent this week, at least 100 bush fires continue to smolder dangerously. And while rain may dampen the bush fires, it also raises the specter of dangerous flooding.

本周，盡管干旱的非洲大陸部分地區(qū)開始降雨，但至少100處叢林大火仍在危險地燃燒。雖然雨水可能會抑制叢林大火，但它也增加了危險洪水的可能性。

The Wollemi pines will likely live through this. In their 90 million years on this planet, the trees, which can grow up to 130 feet tall, have born witness to many a catastrophe. But this may be the first time they've needed a hand from humans.

沃勒米松樹可能會挺過來。這些樹可以長到130英尺高，它們在地球上存在了9000萬年，見證了許多災(zāi)難的發(fā)生。但這可能是它們第一次需要人類的幫助。

"This is a key asset, not only for the national parks, but for our entire country," Kean said in an interview with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

基恩在接受澳大利亞廣播公司采訪時說:“這不僅是國家公園的關(guān)鍵資產(chǎn)，也是我們整個國家的重要資產(chǎn)。”

But, as the perils of climate change become more apparent — researchers say it's the reason why normally occurring wildfires are more widespread and destructive — this may not be the last time they need our help.

但是，隨著氣候變化的危險變得越來越明顯——研究人員說，這就是為什么通常發(fā)生的野火更廣泛和更具破壞性的原因——這可能不是他們最后一次需要我們的幫助。

"There is no precedent for the scale and speed at which these brushfires are spreading," Michael Mann, a climatologist at Penn State University, tells Mother Jones. "It's almost like we're being given a vision for our future if we don't act on climate."

賓夕法尼亞州立大學的氣候?qū)W家邁克爾·曼恩告訴《瓊斯媽媽》:“這些森林大火蔓延的規(guī)模和速度是史無前例的。”“如果我們不采取行動應(yīng)對氣候變化，就好像我們被賦予了未來的愿景。”