Our Wildlife Matters feature usually focuses on native species or wild places in Gloucestershire, but it is difficult to ignore the crisis happening on the other side of the world.

The bushfires in Australia have caused mass devastation to people, animals and habitats, and there is still another month of summer left. In the aftermath of the fires, communities will take months, if not years, to recover from the damage.

People from across the world have been donating money to aid the battle against the fires, as well as providing supplies for the organisations involved – from helping those who have been made homeless, to treating the sick and injured wildlife.

Many of us will be feeling relatively helpless being on the other side of the world, but there are ways in which we can help.

Donate financially
There are many worthy causes you could donate your money to – we’ve highlighted a few of them below but do your research and find one that you are happy to support.

• The Australian Red Cross are supporting people at evacuation centres, providing food, water and relief items to people cut off by fires, and providing emergency grants to those who have lost their homes.

www.redcross.org.au

• New South Wales Rural Fire Service and Queensland Fire and Emergency Services are just two of the organisations directly battling the fires.

www.rfs.nsw.gov.au

www.qfes.qld.gov.au

• Wires Wildlife Rescue care for sick, injured and orphaned wildlife in the New South Wales area and further afield.

www.wires.org.au

If you are not in a position to donate financially, using your voice and sharing information on social media can also help.

Knitting and sewing
Millions of animals have been affected by the bushfires. The number that have died is truly devastating, but there are thousands that have been rescued and will need ongoing care before being released back to the wild when it is safe.

If you are a crafter or a quick learner, you could do your part by making bat wraps, joey pouches, koala mittens, birds nests, possum boxes and other cosy items.

The Facebook group ‘Animal Rescue Collective Craft Guild’ has information about the items that are most needed, as well as where to send them to. If you are part of a knitting or sewing group, you could club together and send a big parcel to reduce postage costs.

Visit and spend
If you are planning a trip to Australia this year, consider visiting the areas that have been affected and supporting local businesses by spending money with them. For many organisations, January would have been one of their highest earning months, so they will be suffering from loss of sales.

An Instagram account called @SpendWithThem has been created to allow local businesses affected by the fires to promote their products.

We sincerely hope the fires can be brought under control as soon as possible to avoid more damage to homes and habitats.