Calum Cunningham – The Conversation

Residents of Cotignac, France, faced a rapidly intensifying wildfire on July 21 2026. FBM Media/Getty

July 29, 2026

‘The fire has such power’: why the wildfires gripping France and Spain are off the charts

David Bowman, University of Tasmania; Calum Cunningham, University of Tasmania, and Grant Williamson, University of Tasmania

The fires facing Spanish and French firefighters are harder to put out – and much more intense.

Fire rages in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles in January 2025. eley archives/Shutterstock

March 5, 2025

Fires used to terrify city residents. New research suggests climate change could see this fear return

David Bowman, University of Tasmania and Calum Cunningham, University of Tasmania

Fires and cities do not mix. Authorities have spent decades reducing the risk. But climate change will make some urban fires more likely.

Greenville Fire-Rescue/AP/AAP

June 24, 2024

Extreme wildfires are on the rise globally, powered by the climate crisis

Calum Cunningham, University of Tasmania; David Bowman, University of Tasmania, and Grant Williamson, University of Tasmania

An analysis of 88 million wildfire observations over the past 21 years shows a strong increase in the frequency and intensity of the most extreme fires around the world.

Darren England/AAP

November 1, 2023

Queensland’s fires are not easing at night. That’s a bad sign for the summer ahead

Calum Cunningham, University of Tasmania; David Bowman, University of Tasmania, and Grant Williamson, University of Tasmania

Normally, many bushfires ease overnight, as temperatures fall and moisture in the air rises. But these are not normal times, as Queensland’s early-season fires are showing

Smaller predators steer clear of wolves, but that brings them closer to people – and the dangers humans pose. Star Tribune via Getty Images

May 18, 2023

When wolves move in, they push smaller carnivores closer to human development – with deadly consequences

Calum Cunningham, University of Washington and Laura Prugh, University of Washington

Reintroducing wolves can restore important ecological processes, but it can have unintended effects when smaller predators like coyotes are driven closer to people, a team of ecologists found.

Healthy Tasmanian devil populations have cornered the market on carrion. Menna Elizabeth Jones

November 28, 2018

Tassie devils’ decline has left a feast of carrion for feral cats

Calum Cunningham, University of Tasmania; Christopher Johnson, University of Tasmania; Menna Elizabeth Jones, University of Tasmania, and Tracey Hollings, The University of Melbourne

A new study involving leaving animal carcasses strewn across Tasmania shows that in places where devils have dwindled, other scavengers are stepping up to fill the gap, with nasty knock-on effects.

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