Gorillas, tigers at risk due to climate change-report

[abc]

Gorillas, tigers at risk due to climate change-report

Global warming threatens 20-30 pct of plant, animal species

DECEMBER 5, 2011

The report said an estimated 20-30 percent of plant and animal species
will be at higher risk of extinction due to global warming.

DURBAN, Dec 5 (Reuters) - Several animal species including gorillas in
Rwanda and tigers in Bangladesh could risk extinction if the impact of
climate change and extreme weather on their habitats is not addressed, a
UN report showed on Sunday.

Launched on the sidelines of global climate negotiations in Durban, the
report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization shows how
higher temperatures, the rise in sea levels, deforestation and excessive
land use have damaged the habitats of certain species, especially in
Africa.

“Many ecosystems have already been stressed by increasing population,
historical and recent deforestation, unsustainable management practices
and even invasive species,” Eduardo Rojas-Briales, assistant director
general at the FAO’s forestry department, said at the launch of the
report.

The most affected areas include mountains, isolated islands and coastal
areas, which limit the possibilities for animals to migrate elsewhere and
create new habitats.

“The remaining populations become enclosed in very small ecosystems, they
have inbreeding problems ... and at the end these species may disappear,”
he added.

CONFLICT

Wildlife migration may also lead to conflicts with humans as happened
with the tigers in Bangladesh, Rojas-Briales said.

“Lifestock and even humans were attacked and of course there was
retaliation by the local population, and the success that was achieved by
protecting this species is now being reversed by habitat degradation,” he
said.

Other examples of affected animals included elephants in Mali, lions in
the Serengeti and crocodiles in Malawi.

The report said an estimated 20-30 percent of plant and animal species
will be at higher risk of extinction due to global warming and a
significant proportion of endemic species may become extinct by 2050 as a
consequence.

Other consequences could include the spread of invasive species and
infectious diseases, it said.

The report urges more focus on restoration of damaged ecosystems,
especially those key to tackling climate change such as mangroves, inland
waters, forests, savannahs and grasslands.

The FAO also called for the creation of migration corridors for animals
in areas where their movement was constrained.

The organization said while more resources were flowing to biodiversity
conservation, more action at the government and policy level was needed.

It also urged local communities to develop projects that mitigate the
impact of climate change on wildlife, naming eco-tourism activities as an
example.