Wildfires rose as grazing animals went extinct: study - CTV News

The giant bison is one of several grassland grazers that went extinct during the late Quaternary era.

Thousands of years ago, iconic ancient herbivores, such as the woolly mammoth, giant bison and ancient horses roamed the earth and played an important role for the world's grassland ecosystems.

In South America, 83 per cent of the large herbivore species went extinct, the most out of all the continents

North America saw 68 per cent of its species go extinct, while the losses in Australia and Africa were 44 per cent and 22 per cent, respectively

The researchers set out to see if the extinction of these grazing species could have led to more fires in grassy areas

The researchers found that continents that saw more grazers go extinct, such as South America, had larger increases in fire activity

However, the extinction of species that feed on bushes and trees, such as mastodons and giant slots, had little effect on fires in wooded areas

The authors say their research underscores the important role that grazing livestock and herbivore species play when it comes to mitigating wildfires, as extreme weather events continue to intensify due to climate change