![]() Successful conservation needs to embrace multiple approaches to climate adaptation however, these are seldom delivered in an integrated way to assist in conservation planning and implementation in the context of the inherent uncertainty associated with future climate conditions ( Smit et al., 2000). Thus, the effectiveness of species conservation strategies relies not only on enhancing knowledge of species and ecosystem responses to these changes but also on envisaging the likely response of humans ( Watson, Iwamura & Butt, 2013 Morecroft et al., 2019). ![]() Adaptation priorities of different systems may be different based on the magnitude of change a system has been experiencing or is projected to experience due to climatic stressors ( Watson, Iwamura & Butt, 2013). Biodiversity continues to decline globally, and many species will possibly become extinct due to the synergetic effects of climate change and land use changes if adequate adaptation measures are not implemented ( Da Silva et al., 2019 IPBES, 2019 Hannah et al., 2020).Ĭlimate change adaptation is defined as adjusting to moderate or avoid the harm that is likely to arise from a current or projected change in climate and associated effects ( Smit et al., 2000). These adverse impacts on biodiversity are likely to intensify in the future, given that the global average temperature is predicted to exceed 1.5 ☌ by 2100 even under the lowest greenhouse gas emission scenario ( IPCC, 2018 Newbold et al., 2020). It is triggering changes in phenology, range shifts and species composition ( Chen et al., 2011 Rasmussen et al., 2017 Haight & Hammill, 2020). Further, we emphasise the need to integrating likely climate change impacts while planning for rhinoceros conservation and initiating experimental research and monitoring programs to better inform adaptation planning in the future.Ĭlimate change is increasingly acknowledged as a critical threat for conserving global biodiversity, which is impacting almost every level of biological diversity including species, ecosystems, ecological interactions, and genetic diversity within species ( Foden et al., 2019 IPBES, 2019). This study is the first of its kind in Nepal and is expected to provide a guideline to align ongoing conservation measures into climate change adaptation planning for rhinoceros. ![]() These adaptation actions may contribute to reducing the vulnerability of rhinoceros to the likely impacts of climate change. Out of 20 identified adaptation actions under nine adaptation strategies, identifying and protecting climate refugia, restoring the existing habitats through wetland and grassland management, creating artificial highlands in floodplains to provide rhinoceros with refuge during severe floods, and translocating them to other suitable habitats received higher priority. Despite these perceived risks, climate change impacts have not been incorporated well into formal conservation planning for rhinoceros. The majority of key informants (>80%) reported that climate change has been impacting rhinoceros, and more than 65% of them believe that rhinoceros habitat suitability in Nepal has been shifting westwards. ![]() We identified both ongoing and probable climate change adaptation actions for greater one-horned rhinoceros conservation in Nepal through a combination of literature review, key informant surveys ( n = 53), focus group discussions ( n = 37) and expert consultation ( n = 9), and prioritised the identified adaptation actions through stakeholder consultation ( n = 17). Given that global temperature continues to increase, climate change adaptation has emerged as an overarching framework for conservation planning. In the absence of adequate adaptation measures, biodiversity may continue to decline, and many species will possibly become extinct. Climate change has started impacting species, ecosystems, genetic diversity within species, and ecological interactions and is thus a serious threat to conserving biodiversity globally.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |