Two thirds of Key Biodiversity Areas (KBAs) in tropical forests are experiencing new temperature conditions as our climate changes, that is according to new research published ahead of the next round of COP talks.
KBAs identify the most important places on Earth for species and their habitats. The new study — by Exeter, Manchester Metropolitan and Cambridge universities — assessed 30 years of temperature conditions below the forest canopy in KBAs in tropical forests worldwide.
It found that 66% of KBAs in tropical forests have recently transitioned to new “temperature regimes” (more than 40% of temperature measurements are outside the range previously recorded).
The remaining 34% have not yet experienced new temperature regimes, and the researchers suggest that these places may be vital refuges for biodiversity.
The paper has been published before the United Nations Biodiversity Conference (COP16) in Colombia, which begins next week (October 21).
“Beneath the canopy of tropical forests, a wealth of biodiversity exists in a very stable climate,” said Dr Brittany Trew from the Environment and Sustainability Institute on Exeter’s Penryn Campus in Cornwall.
“As such, species there are at particularly high risk from new annual temperature regimes because they have evolved under a narrow range of conditions. They may only be able to tolerate a small margin of warming above what they’re used to.”
The Post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework includes a draft target of conserving at least 30% of global land area by 2030 and specifically identifies KBAs as a core priority for this.
Dr Alexander Lees, Reader in Biodiversity at Manchester Metropolitan University, said: “The amount of political and economic capital dedicated to safeguarding biodiversity is woefully inadequate.
“Our findings show that the painful process of conservation triage — selecting new protected areas — must therefore consider the impact of ongoing climate changes on those sites in prioritisation assessments.”
KBAs do not automatically receive formal protection, which is decided by national governments in the identified areas.”
The paper highlights that more than half of the 34% of tropical forest KBAs that are not seeing new temperature regimes are not currently protected.
“We need ‘climate-smart’ policies that protect these vital refuges,” Dr Trew said.
The researchers used temperature measurements, satellite data and a microclimate model to assess near-ground hourly temperatures across the world’s tropical KBAs.
The proportion of KBAs in Africa and Latin America with new temperature regimes was particularly high (72% and 59%), while fewer KBAs across Asia and Oceania shifted to new temperatures (49%).
Some KBAs across Latin America (2.9%) — and a small number in Asia and Oceania (0.4%) — have recently transitioned to almost entirely new temperature regimes (more than 80% of temperature measurements outside the previous range.
In Latin America, these KBAs were all located in Ecuador, Colombia, Venezuela or Panama, with the tropical Andes particularly affected.
The paper, published in Conservation Letters, is titled: “Identifying climate-smart Tropical Key Biodiversity Areas for Protection in Response to Widespread Temperature Novelty.”
- For more information, University of Exeter. (2024, October 15). New temperatures in two-thirds of key tropical forests. ScienceDaily. Retrieved October 16, 2024 from www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/10/241015141509.htm