Sydney (AFP) - A "shocking" government report revealed Tuesday that Australia 's unique flora and fauna are at greater risk than ever from bushfires, drought, human activity and global warming.

The scientific report presented a grim picture of the great damage to the country's wildlife. Since the turn of the 20th century, the average global temperature in Australia has increased by 1.4°C due to warming, which has accelerated the decline of flora and fauna.

Environment Minister Tanya Plibersk described the report's findings as "shocking". "It tells a story of crisis and deterioration in the Australian environment," she said.

The 2019-2020 fires destroyed more than eight million hectares of vegetation and killed or displaced between one and three billion animals in the country, according to the report's main findings.

Also, ocean heat waves led to severe coral bleaching in the Great Barrier Reef in 2016, 2017 and 2020. Since then, a government report released in March concluded that the coral reefs had again suffered massive bleaching.

Millions of hectares of virgin forests have been destroyed since 1990.

The same fate befell more than seven million hectares of habitat for endangered species between 2000 and 2017, according to the report.

In five years, more than 200 plant and animal species of national importance have been added to the list of threatened species under Australian environmental laws.

The report pointed out that "Australia has lost more species of mammals than any other continent," as the number of new species classified as threatened increased by 8% in five years.

Likewise, Australian cities are growing rapidly, according to the report, which leads to increased heat, pollution and urban waste, with pressure on water and energy resources.

The report stated that "Sydney has lost more than 70% of its original vegetation due to" urban development.

"The findings of this report are heartbreaking, and the management failure that led to losses of this magnitude is devastating," said Rachel Lowry, Acting Director-General of WWF Australia.

And she warned that "if we ignore the warnings contained in this report, famous species such as koalas in eastern Australia (...) will disappear forever."

According to the WWF, the report should mark a "turning point" that leads to greater investment and tougher laws to protect wildlife in Australia.

The country is particularly affected by climate change, as it is regularly exposed to droughts and devastating forest fires, in addition to frequent and increasingly dangerous floods.