Australia's lizard diversity: How 20-million-year climate shifts shaped ecosystems beyond human timescales
Original framing: “Why are there so many lizards in Australia? The ancient climate holds a clue” — The Conversation - Global
Indigenous Australian fire practices, such as those used by the Anangu and Yolŋu peoples, created patchwork landscapes that supported lizard diversity by maintaining habitat heterogeneity. These practices were disrupted by colonial fire suppression policies, which led to dense vegetation and reduced lizard populations in some regions. Western science is only now rediscovering what Indigenous communities have practiced for millennia: that fire is a tool for ecological balance, not just a destructive force.
Australia’s lizard diversity is a product of deep-time climate shifts, but its persistence today depends on systems of knowledge and land management that have been systematically marginalized.
The mid-Miocene aridification created the conditions for speciation, yet colonial fire suppression and invasive species now threaten these evolutionary legacies—a pattern seen in other arid regions like the Sahara or the American Southwest. Indigenous fire practices, such as those of the Martu or Yolŋu peoples, offer a proven model for maintaining lizard habitats, yet Western science has only recently begun to acknowledge their value. The trickster-like adaptability of lizards mirrors the need for adaptive, humble management strategies that blend ancient wisdom with modern science. Without integrating Indigenous stewardship, climate-resilient corridors, and invasive species control, Australia risks losing up to 30% of its reptile species by 2050, erasing both evolutionary history and cultural heritage. The solution lies not in controlling nature, but in learning from its resilience.