Resource Extraction Among Factors Threatening E.A Biodiversity

The coastal areas of East Africa are highly vulnerable to climate change yet they are among Africa’s most biologically diverse areas.

Uncontrolled resource extraction, industrial agriculture, and swift population growth are among the factors that already threaten the regions’ biodiversity.

This is according to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) report dubbed “The effects of climate change on biodiversity in WWF’s Priority Places.”

The report discloses that even at a global rise of 2°C, the area is projected to become climatically unsuitable for more than 25 percent of the biodiversity across most species groups, with only reptiles faring slightly less badly.

“If global temperatures increase further, the situation quickly becomes worse: a 4.5°C rise would see about 7 out of 10 amphibians, 6 out of 10 birds, 4 out of 10 reptiles and more than half of all mammal species analyzed seriously threatened unless extensive adaptation efforts are made”, states the report.

The report further states that in either case, 56 percent of plant species are at risk of local extinction which would cause a radical change in habitats in almost all areas that would be likely to affect other species groups.

As for marine biodiversity, rising water temperatures will make conditions less suitable for many species and may lead to coral bleaching. Other species are expected to colonize the area, leading to some changes in ecosystems.

In some areas of the world, marine turtles are already altering their migratory routes and nesting sites: it remains to be seen how far this will enable them to keep up with continuing change.

About half of all plants and animals in 35 of the world’s most biodiverse places are at risk of extinction due to climate change

Many decades of burning fossil fuels, coupled with rampant deforestation, are having an undeniable impact on earth. In all regions of the world, yesterday’s theoretical dangers are becoming today’s new reality: the effects of global warming are already measurable, they’re bad, and they’re going to get worse.

From rising sea levels to retreating glaciers, from increasingly frequent and severe extreme weather events to warmer oceans, the environmental consequences of higher global temperatures are playing themselves out around us.

Meanwhile, human societies – particularly in the developing world – are already counting the cost. In some areas, food security is diminishing, water resources dwindling and there have been increases in heat-related deaths. Even with the commitment shown by the nations of the world in reaching the Paris Agreement on climate change in 2015, we can expect a lot more damage from climate change in future. And there’s something else we may see too: these environmental impacts leading to enormous losses of biodiversity on every continent and across all species groups.

Biodiversity has intrinsic value, and the loss of wildlife from the world’s most remarkable natural places impoverishes us all. In some instances, there are clear economic and social implications – the local extinction of charismatic species can wipe out potential wildlife tourism opportunities, while an endemic plant that fails to keep up with a rapidly changing climate may take with it a potential medical breakthrough. But the costs of biodiversity loss on the scale we could be seeing over the coming decades go far beyond this.

This is not simply about the disappearance of certain species from particular places, but about profound changes to ecosystems that provide vital services to hundreds of millions of people.

If we’re to avoid this, we need a concerted global response that centers on four things:

We must cut global greenhouse-gas emissions

• We need deep cuts to global greenhouse-gas emissions, consistent with an improving on the pledges already made under the Paris Agreement. There’s no way this can be achieved without a rapid phase-out of fossil fuels – particularly coal, but also oil and gas.

Conservation planning needs to consider climate change

• Conservation planning needs to be based on projected future climatic conditions, with a particular focus on notably vulnerable or resilient areas. An emphasis on aiding species dispersal is critical; as is the promotion of green development that doesn’t put extra pressure on wildlife populations as the effects of a warmer climate worsen.

Further research is essential

• We need to recognize that this area of study is relatively new: alongside the on-the-ground action, scientists must keep on with their efforts to deepen our understanding of the changes we can expect to see – and we need to base our policies on the growing knowledge base they’re creating.

 Awareness is key

• Finally, people need to know and people need to care. Everyone has a role to play in spreading the word and getting involved.