DURBAN (Reuters) – several animal species, including gorillas in Rwanda and the Tigers of Bangladesh, could be endangered if not addressed the impact of climate change and extreme weather in their Habitat, according to a UN report released on Sunday.
Released during talks about the weather in Durban, the text of the United Nations food and Agriculture (FAO) shows how rising temperatures, rising sea levels and excessive land use have damaged the Habitat of certain species, particularly in Africa.
“Many ecosystems have already been on the ropes by the growth of the population, historical and recent deforestation, unsustainable management practices and even invasive species”, said Eduardo Rojas-Briales, Assistant to the director-general of the FAO Forest Department, at the launch of the report.
The areas most affected include the mountains, isolated islands and coastal, which limits the possibilities to enable the animals to migrate to other places and create new habitats.
“The remaining populations are bounded in very small ecosystems, they have problems of inbreeding (..)” “and in the end these species could disappear”, added.
Conflict
Migration in nature could also lead to conflict with humans, as it was the case with the Tigers in Bangladesh, said Rojas-Briales.
“Cattle or even humans were attacked and of course there was response by the local population, and success was achieved to protect these species is being reversed by the degradation of the Habitat,” said.
Other examples of affected animals are elephants in Mali, the Lions in the Serengeti and crocodile in Malawi.
The report pointed out that a figure estimated 20-30 percent of species of animals and plants would be at one increased risk of extinction due to global warming, and as a result, a significant proportion of endemic species could be extinct by 2050.
Other consequences could be the expansion of invasive species and infectious diseases, said.
The report calls for more focus on the restoration of ecosystems damaged, especially those key to addressing climate change, such as mangrove forests, inland waters, forests, savannas and areas of grazing.
The FAO also advocates the creation of migration corridors for animals in areas where movement is limited.
The organization said that while there are more resources for the conservation of biodiversity, necessary further action at the governmental level and politician.
He also urged local communities to develop projects to mitigate the impact of climate change in the nature, putting such activities of ecotourism.
