Climate Change and Biodiversity

Biodiversity is the abbreviation from biological diversity. Biodiversity combines the concepts of plants and animals as genetic resources, the diversity of species and the habitats in which they live. Biodiversity, in the modern concept, is the totality and variety of living organisms on earth.

Climate change is partly responsible for the loss of biodiversity, apart from other causes of habitat destruction due to pollution, over-exploitation of land, invasive alien species. The combined effect of these forces is dangerously alarming, and many scientists are beginning to view it as part of an ongoing Sixth Mass Extinction. The last was 65 million years ago that caused the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Below are some of the worrying findings relating to biodiversity loss:

The global rate of species extinction is at least 100 - 1000 times the natural rate,

An estimated 34,000 plant and 5,200 animal species face extinction. This means:

one in eight of all bird species, and

one quarter of all mammals face extinction in the next 30 years (UNEP), and

one third of all amphibians are endangered.

20% of freshwater fish have gone extinct (World Commission of Dams)

13% of plants are endangered (WCU)

22% - 40% of plants will be extinct by 2050 (Food and Agriculture Organization, FAO)

3/4 of the genetic diversity of agricultural crops extinct in the last 100 years (FAO)

1350 breeds of domesticated animals are endangered or extinct (FAO)

The Amazon Rainforest (Pic) is estimated to be over 100 million years old; which is thought to be the oldest in the world. The Amazon Rainforest is situated along the Earth's Equatorial zone, between the tropics of Capricorn and Cancer, where rainfall is abundant the whole year round. The biodiversity of tropical rainforests is greater than that of any other type of ecosystem.

Why Biodiversity Matters

Mankind benefits from nature's legacy of biodiversity in many ways. Our quality of life hinges upon healthy ecosystems and habitats. The many species of plants, animals, marine lives and microorganisms provide the food, fiber, fuel, medicines and other support services vital to life on Earth.

Forests, in particular, are nature's heritage dating back 130 million years. Besides the myriads of tree species, the forests are rich in flora and fauna. The ecological services they provide include fresh air and clean water supply as the forests help in the retention of rainwater, prevention of water runoff. They are instrumental in the prevention and mitigation of natural disasters like floods and land slides. Other services include soil fertility, pollination and other essential support services.

Biodiversity plays a vital role in food security as species diversity provides the material for future crops while the genetic diversity form the basis of more nutritious crops in future. Vast potential awaits to be tapped, as the FAO estimates that out of the edible 10 000 to 50 000 of a total of 300 000 plant species, only 3 000 have been utilized. Out of these, only 150 - 200 species have been commercially cultivated.

Biodiversity is being prospected for their use in treatment of new and old diseases. Modern medicine uses plants as the basis for about a quarter of all their commercial drugs.

According to the World Development Indicators, while Malaysia has only 0.2% of the land mass of the world, it has one of the richest biodiversity of fauna and flora in the world, second only to Indonesia in South East Asia. The 2001 Global Diversity Outlook recognized Malaysia as one of the 12 mega-diversity countries in the world, hosting grounds to more than 170 000 of fauna and flora species. Of specific interest are the saline mangrove forests which are common sights along the coastal areas in Malaysia.


Mangroves are salt-tolerant evergreen forests found along coastlines, lagoons, rivers or deltas in tropical and subtropical countries.		The blue-eared kingfisher, common sight of mangrove swamps

Studies conducted in East Malaysia in 1970s have shown that up to 65% of all commercial marine fish species spend part of their life in mangroves, estuaries and coral reefs. The importance of mangroves as breeding grounds for marine species is now well understood. Both sea and river fish are dependent upon a variety of habitats for completing their life cycles. Swamps are indispensable life links. Other services of swamps include the prevention and mitigation of coastal erosion, floods and disasters too. Since the Tsunami Disaster at the Indian Ocean December 2004 which claimed 200 000 lives......... more

Ecosystems at great risks
Glacier loss directly affects ecosystems and human livelihood. They are home to some of the most unique organisms and ecosystems on Earth. While many species are likely to be affected by changes in stream flow and sea level associated with glacier melting, animals that dwell on or near glaciers may face extinction by the disappearance of their icy habitats. Livelihood of many people in the Arctic are already affected. Indigenous hunters feel an increasing scarcity of prey like seals and whales


Endangered Polar bears		Endangered Pacific walrus		Endangered Ribbon seal

Ringed seals are entirely dependent on sea-ice for their survival and will be the most vulnerable to reduced sea-ice projections. Polar bears are also dependent on sea ice and their preferred diet is almost exclusively ringed seal. If there is almost complete loss of summer sea-ice polar bears may not survive as a species. More and more of ...... more

Coral bleaching

Coral reefs are one of the most biodiversed habitats on Earth. Reefs provide home to more than 25% of all marine species. They protect and support the lives of millions of people around the tropical zones, and are a font of wealth from fishing and recreation.

Corals around the world are found to be severely threatened by the natural predators, coastal pollution, warming seas and human exploitation. The damage to reefs by warming seas is one of the most serious effects of global warming.

The most recent status of coral reefs report shows that 20% of the world’s coral reefs have been effectively destroyed. Coral bleaching was particularly pronounced during 1997-98 during a very strong El Niño year superimposed with a warm sea surface temperature, which scientist opinioned to be linked to global warming.

Extinction is forever.

Fragile ecosystems are at risk of collapse from even quite minor environmental changes, whether man-made or natural. Genetic diversity indicates the health of an ecosystem and its survival potential. Any change in climate can cause serious damage to an ecology due to the complex network of interrelations. This damage tends to spread; removal of one species can lead to the deaths of many other species that feed on it.

Biodiversity loss resembles a biological crisis as extinct species are irreplaceable. Species loss could greatly accelerate what many scientists believe is an ongoing mass extinction. Conversely, protecting them could save many of Earth's most threatened species.

One of the important conventions for biodiversity conservation is the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), set up as an outcome of the Earth Summit in 1992. However, even 10 years after, species loss rate was still unchecked. Accountable factors identified are

Lack of political will on the part of international community

Lack of capacity for conservation implementation

Poverty drive

Loss of traditional knowledge on conservation

Climate change

Natural disasters

Subsequently the World Summit on Sustainable Development in 2004 set binding targets of reducing biodiversity loss by 2010. Strategy is based on integration of sustainable economic growth, poverty alleviation with biodiversity conservation. See Ecotourism

We tend to take nature's legacy of biodiversity and its services for granted; and we only appreciate them when they are gone. Future generation would not have the rich biological diversity that we enjoy today. So everybody need to a part of the global effort in promoting biodiversity conservation, in climate change mitigation.

References and related news:

WWF.org.my
Biodiversity: BBC.co.uk
Biodiversity Glossary: WRI.org
Biodiversity in Malaysia 2nd Edition: NRE.gov.my

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