Diversity
Of Species Faces 'Catastrophe' From Climate Change
By Steve Connor
11 April 2006
The
Independent
Tens
of thousands of animals and plants could become extinct within the coming
decades as a direct result of global warming.
This is the main conclusion
of a study into how climate change will affect the diversity of species
in the most precious wildlife havens of the world.
Scientists believe that if
atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide double from pre-industrial times
- which is expected by the end of the century - then biodiversity will
be devastated.
"It isn't just polar
bears and penguins that we must worry about anymore," said Lee
Hannah of Conservation International, which is based in Washington.
"The hotspots studied
in this research paper are essentially refugee camps for many of our
planet's most unique plant and animals species," Dr Hannah said.
"If those areas are
no longer habitable due to global warming then we will ... be destroying
the last sanctuaries many of these species have left," he said.
The scientists, led by Lee
Malcolm of the University of Toronto, investigated how rising temperatures
could affect the species richness of 25 "biodiversity hotspots"
- areas of the world that are rich in species found nowhere else. The
25 hotspots included in the study cover just 1 per cent of the global
landmass yet they account for some 44 per cent of the plants and 35
per cent of the world's vertebrate animals.
"Climate change is one
of the most serious threats to the planet's biodiversity. We now have
strong scientific evidence that global warming will result in catastrophic
species loss across the planet," Dr Malcolm said.
As temperatures rise due
to increasing concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, many
species will be forced into extinction, the study found.
Mountain animals and plants
that need cool temperatures will for instance not be able to migrate
to higher altitudes and moisture-loving species will be unable to evolve
the drought resistance in the relatively short time needed to survive
climate change.
The study, published yesterday
in the journal Conservation Biology, predicts that many unique habitats
will be lost as climate change brings about rapid changes to the environment.
"We project the eventual
loss of thousands, perhaps tens of thousands, of hotspot endemic plant
and vertebrate species under a climate associated with a doubling of
carbon dioxide concentrations," the study says.
The wildlife havens that
could be worst affected include the Cape floristic region of South Africa,
the natural landscape of southwest Australia, the tropical Andes and
the Atlantic forests of Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina.
"Although some hotspots
appear to be unusually vulnerable to global warming ... high rates of
habitat loss were also observed in areas that are not hotspots, indicating
the global nature of the threat posed to biodiversity by climate change,"
the scientists say.
The computer modelling used
by the scientists found that in some instances the mass extinctions
caused by climate change were greater than those caused by deforestation,
which many environmentalists had assumed was the single most destructive
human activity. In the worst-case assessment, a doubling of carbon dioxide
concentrations led to the extinction of 40 per cent of species in some
of the hotspots - a potential loss of some 56,000 endemic plants and
3,700 endemic vertebrate species.
Hotspots under threat
* Tropical Andes of South
America: Home to the threatened Andean flamingo, yellow-eared parrot
and spectacled bear, this is one of the richest and most diverse regions
in the world with 450 endemic amphibians at risk of extinction.
* Cape floristic region of
South Africa: The only hotspot with an entire floral kingdom. It holds
five of South Africa's 12 endemic plant families. Sited at the southern-most
tip of the African continent, the region is unique in terms of Mediterranean-type
vegetation and its plants would find it difficult to escape rising temperatures.
* South-western Australia:
This region is rich in its own unique collection of plants and animals,
especially reptiles, such as the western swamp turtle. Endemic vertebrates
include the numbat, a small marsupial, honey possum and red-capped parrot.
Tens of thousands of animals
and plants could become extinct within the coming decades as a direct
result of global warming.
This is the main conclusion
of a study into how climate change will affect the diversity of species
in the most precious wildlife havens of the world.
Scientists believe that if
atmospheric levels of carbon dioxide double from pre-industrial times
- which is expected by the end of the century - then biodiversity will
be devastated.
"It isn't just polar
bears and penguins that we must worry about anymore," said Lee
Hannah of Conservation International, which is based in Washington.
"The hotspots studied
in this research paper are essentially refugee camps for many of our
planet's most unique plant and animals species," Dr Hannah said.
"If those areas are
no longer habitable due to global warming then we will ... be destroying
the last sanctuaries many of these species have left," he said.
The scientists, led by Lee
Malcolm of the University of Toronto, investigated how rising temperatures
could affect the species richness of 25 "biodiversity hotspots"
- areas of the world that are rich in species found nowhere else. The
25 hotspots included in the study cover just 1 per cent of the global
landmass yet they account for some 44 per cent of the plants and 35
per cent of the world's vertebrate animals.
"Climate change is one
of the most serious threats to the planet's biodiversity. We now have
strong scientific evidence that global warming will result in catastrophic
species loss across the planet," Dr Malcolm said.
As temperatures rise due
to increasing concentrations of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, many
species will be forced into extinction, the study found.
Mountain animals and plants
that need cool temperatures will for instance not be able to migrate
to higher altitudes and moisture-loving species will be unable to evolve
the drought resistance in the relatively short time needed to survive
climate change.
The study, published yesterday
in the journal Conservation Biology, predicts that many unique habitats
will be lost as climate change brings about rapid changes to the environment.
"We project the eventual loss of thousands, perhaps tens of thousands,
of hotspot endemic plant and vertebrate species under a climate associated
with a doubling of carbon dioxide concentrations," the study says.
The wildlife havens that
could be worst affected include the Cape floristic region of South Africa,
the natural landscape of southwest Australia, the tropical Andes and
the Atlantic forests of Brazil, Paraguay and Argentina.
"Although some hotspots
appear to be unusually vulnerable to global warming ... high rates of
habitat loss were also observed in areas that are not hotspots, indicating
the global nature of the threat posed to biodiversity by climate change,"
the scientists say.
The computer modelling used
by the scientists found that in some instances the mass extinctions
caused by climate change were greater than those caused by deforestation,
which many environmentalists had assumed was the single most destructive
human activity. In the worst-case assessment, a doubling of carbon dioxide
concentrations led to the extinction of 40 per cent of species in some
of the hotspots - a potential loss of some 56,000 endemic plants and
3,700 endemic vertebrate species.
Hotspots under threat
* Tropical Andes of South
America: Home to the threatened Andean flamingo, yellow-eared parrot
and spectacled bear, this is one of the richest and most diverse regions
in the world with 450 endemic amphibians at risk of extinction.
* Cape floristic region of
South Africa: The only hotspot with an entire floral kingdom. It holds
five of South Africa's 12 endemic plant families. Sited at the southern-most
tip of the African continent, the region is unique in terms of Mediterranean-type
vegetation and its plants would find it difficult to escape rising temperatures.
* South-western Australia:
This region is rich in its own unique collection of plants and animals,
especially reptiles, such as the western swamp turtle. Endemic vertebrates
include the numbat, a small marsupial, honey possum and red-capped parrot.
© 2006 Independent News
and Media Limited