Winners And Losers: Study Looks At Alaskan Birds’ Vulnerability To Climate Change

April 3, 2013 

Brett Smith for redOrbit.com – Your Universe Online 

As the forces of climate change continue to shape the planet, conservationist groups are focusing on how these trends may affect the viability of different animal species. 

According to a new report from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), many of the breeding bird species in Alaska will experience a marked change to their populations by 2050. 

Based on their assessment, the WCS estimates that two species will become “highly” vulnerable and seven other species would be “moderately” vulnerable thanks to the effects of climate change. The WCS also projects that the populations of five bird species will actually expand as a result of rising global temperatures and their effects. 

“The primary value of this assessment is to tease out the underlying factors that make species more or less vulnerable to climate change,” said report co-author Joe Liebezeit. “Through this effort we can begin to prioritize subsequent management actions and identify data gaps. The results represent a starting point to help prioritize management actions and conservation planning efforts.” 

The report is focused on 54 bird species from Arctic Alaska, which serves as a breeding ground for millions of birds from around the world. According to the WCS, the region is expected to see a 5.5-degree Fahrenheit temperature increase by 2050. 

The WCS conducted their assessment with four goals in mind: rank the vulnerability of different bird species, evaluate each species’ sensitivity to climate change factors, compare the assessment to other approaches, and determine the effectiveness of the NatureServe Climate Change Vulnerability Index (CCVI) tool. 

The CCVI tool is a spreadsheet-based algorithm that uses a variety of factors to rank species vulnerability to climate change in particular regions. 

“This assessment tool melds computer modeling with expert opinion in a way not often realized,” said co-author Greg Balogh, the Coordinator of the Arctic Landscape Conservation Cooperative for the WCS. 

Continued: http://www.redorbit.com/news/science/1112815618/alaskan-birds-affected-by-climate-change-040313/

If You Cut Down a Tree in the Forest, Can Wildlife Hear It?

Dec. 14, 2012 — A new tool developed by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and its partners is being used by scientists and land managers to model how noise travels through landscapes and affects species and ecosystems -- a major factor in land and wildlife management decisions such as where to locate new roads or recreational trails.

The tool, SPreAD-GIS, uses spatial data layers to predict how sound spreads from a source through the surrounding landscape and how it is affected by such factors as vegetation, terrain, weather conditions, and background sound levels. By determining how sound propagates, potential impacts to wildlife can be forecasted. Such impacts can include reducing habitat quality, altering the geographic distribution of species, disrupting animal communication, and causing stress.

In an example discussed in the paper, the sensitivities of humans and owls to motor vehicle sound levels were compared. The results of the SPreAD-GIS analysis showed that in the same location, motor vehicle noise would affect owls in an area 45 percent larger than the area affected for humans. Exposure to noise may affect an owl's livelihood as the animal relies on its acute sense of hearing to detect even the slightest movement of its prey.

Read on:  http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/12/121214112614.htm