Darren England / EPA
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Australian firefighters managed to save a forest with prehistoric trees located in the south east of the country from fires, the government announced.
At stake are trees of the species Wollemia nobilis, commonly known as Pinheiro de Wollemi, believed to exist 200 million years ago.
Until recently, the species was considered extinct, but in mid-1994 some 200 specimens were discovered in this rainforest in southeastern Australia, located about 150 kilometers northwest of Sydney.
The species is considered to be a living fossil and is therefore nicknamed the “dinosaur tree”.
“The Wollemi National Park it’s the only place in the world where these trees are found in nature and, like less than 200 specimens, we knew that we had to do everything to save them, ”said New South Wales Environment Minister Matt Kean.
When the fires that have plagued Australia since September approached the prehistoric forest, firefighters created a fire barrier, preventing the forest from being affected. The scientific study determined that, although some trees have suffered damage and burns, the species will survive.
The Government of Australia keeps your exact location a secret to prevent man from harming these trees, further observes the Russia Today.
“The fires of 2019 are the first opportunity ever to see the response of Pinheiro Wollemi mature to fire in a natural environment, which will help us to refine the way we deal with fires in these areas in the long term”, concluded the official, quoted in communication released by the Australian Government.
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