Australian scientists report link between climate, habitat loss

Australian scientists on Sunday said the governments may need to abandon efforts to save certain animals in particular areas when faced with the effects of climate change and habitat loss. Researchers from the University of Queensland (UQ) of Australia and scientists from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) have measured the relationship between current climates, climate change and habitat loss on plants and animals on a global scale as well as how it impacts on plants and animals on a global scale, eventually they discovered potentially "catastrophic" effects. The result showed that areas with high temperatures and where average rainfall has decreased over time increase the chance of a species being negatively affected by habitat loss and fragmentation. The research was led by Chrystal Mantyka-Pringle, who was from UQ's School of Geography, Planning and Environmental Management. "Human population growth has caused significant habitat degradation across the globe, typically in support of agriculture and urban development," Mantyka-Pringle said in a statement. "This alone has negatively impacted many species, but combined with rises in temperature and reduced rainfall as a result of a changing climate, there could be catastrophic results for some populations." Mantyka-Pringle said that in areas where the effects of climate change and habitat loss were severe, current efforts to manage the problem could be inadequate. "More proactive management strategies such as moving species, engineering habitat, and even abandoning our efforts to save certain species in one area in favor of other areas may be more effective." The study suggested the negative effects of interactions between habitat loss and climate on higher order species, such as mammals, reptiles and amphibians are universal. It also argued it was becoming increasingly apparent that ecosystems and species are not at risk from a single threat but rather a multitude of factors. Mankyka-Pringle claimed that understanding the synergistic effects between climate change and other threatening processes has critical implications for our ability to support and incorporate climate change adaptation measures into policy development and management response. The findings were recently published in the journal Global Change Biology, January of 2012.