MAY 28,
2019
by
Benedictus Freeman, The
Conversation
If
scientists know how particular species are responding to the realities of
global climate change, they can help to recommend better conservation strategies.
But
information about climate change response and adaptation is either limited or
not available for many tropical bird species. This is a glaring oversight:
particularly for range restricted tropical birds—that is,
species with narrow ranges that occur only in a particular place or
habitat. Scientists have
shown that range restricted tropical birds are extremely vulnerable
to global climate
change, owing to their specialized habitat requirements. These species
include a number of West African birds which occupy the region's tropical
forests.
Like most
regions on the continent, future climate
change projections for West Africa suggest there's a high chance of
temperature increases. But they're more equivocal with rainfall: different
projections indicate significant increases or decreases in future rainfall, with
little consensus among models.
My
colleagues and I wanted to address the gap in knowledge about what's needed to
protect West African species from the effects of changes in climate.
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