Biodiversity experts have warned that the floods that hit South Africa and other extreme weather events linked to human-caused climate change in the continent are threatening marine and terrestrial wildlife species.
According to the experts, Africa has had to deal with several climate-related disasters in the past year, including the ongoing fatal floods, unrelenting cyclones in the south, extreme temperatures in western and northern regions, and drought which is currently afflicting eastern, central and the Horn of Africa.
Head of the climate change division at Conservation International Shyla Raghav, said that climate change was disrupting ecosystems and affecting the survival and suitability of species to live in their usual habitats.
“Massive disruption to ecological stability will occur if adequate adaptation and mitigation measures are not implemented,” she said.“There is a need to incorporate climate-proofing of our protected areas. That way we boost nature’s ability for resilience.”
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While conservation and wildlife groups say it’s critical to protect species from these climate change-related weather events, reports show that multiple species, including Africa’s famed “big-five” land animals and other terrestrial and marine life, are vulnerable to significant population loss.
In his reaction, the head of the biodiversity watch group Nature Kenya Ornithologist, Paul Matiku, said that shifting rainfall patterns and increased temperatures are having serious consequences for bird populations.
According to Matiku, Climate change causes seasonal variability in rainfall, temperature and food for birds, hence breeding aborts and bird populations automatically reduce over time.
“Wetland birds are affected by reducing water levels due to droughts,” Matiku said. “The Sahara Desert gets hotter, and some migratory birds die along their migratory routes due to high temperatures and dehydration.”
For Ibidun Adelekan, a geography professor at the University of Ibadan in Nigeria, ecosystems that thrive along Africa’s popular white sandy beaches are also particularly vulnerable and are at risk of coral reef ecosystem collapse due to bleaching, potential saltwater intrusion on freshwater aquifers, and more intense tropical cyclones.
“Greater damage to Africa’s coastal biodiversity will also have considerable consequences for populations in towns and cities along its shores,” Adelekan warned, adding that persistent deprivation of terrestrial and marine ecosystems by human actions is leading to increased vulnerability of coastal and island communities to climate impacts.
Story was adapted from PBS News Hour.
