According to a study, current conservation efforts are insufficient to safeguard Antarctic ecosystems, and population declines are likely to occur for 65% of the continent's plants and animals by the year 2100.
Up to 84% of terrestrial bird, mammal, and plant groups would benefit from the implementation of ten key threat management strategies, which would cost US$23 million annually.
Current Antarctic conservation efforts are insufficient to avoid biodiversity declines
Researchers evaluated threats and conservation strategies for Antarctica using expert assessments and scientific data in order to better understand which species are most vulnerable and determine the most cost-effective actions, as per ScienceDaily.
29 experts were consulted to define potential management plans, determine their costs and viability, and evaluate the potential advantages for various species between now and 2100.
The most significant threat to Antarctic biodiversity has been determined to be climate change, and changing global policy to reduce warming has been found to be the most effective conservation strategy.
By 2100, 65% of land plants and animals will be extinct if current management practices and more than 2 degrees Celsius of warming is continued.
The most vulnerable species were found to be emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri), followed by other seabirds and soil nematode worms.
Although it is estimated that regional management strategies will cost 1.92 billion US dollars over the next 83 years, or 0.004% of the world's GDP in 2019, they could benefit up to 74% of plants and animals.
Minimizing the effects of human activity, improving the planning and management of new infrastructure projects, and improving transport management were the regional management strategies that offered the highest return on investment.
In order to protect Antarctic biodiversity and ecosystem services for future generations, the authors argue that both local and global conservation efforts are required as Antarctica comes under increasing pressure from both climate change and human activities.
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Biodiversity loss
Natural habitats and species are being harmed in ways that are still unclear due to the environmental changes brought on by climate change, as per The Royal Society.
There are indications that climate change is having an impact on biodiversity, and pressure is being placed on species that are already in danger due to other human activities by changes in rainfall patterns, extreme weather, and ocean acidification.
Although thriving ecosystems have the potential to lessen the effects of climate change, the threat that it poses to biodiversity is anticipated to grow.
Global temperatures could rise by more than 1.5°C (2.7°F) in comparison to before the industrial revolution by 2030 if current rates of warming continue.
The intensification and recurrence of fires, storms, and dry spells are two major effects of climate change on biodiversity.
At the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020, intense fires in Australia destroyed 97,000 km2 of forest and nearby habitats.
It is now known that climate change has made these fires worse. The threat to biodiversity, which is already under threat from other human activities, is increased by this.
The fires are thought to have increased the number of threatened species in the region by 14%.
By changing what can grow and live within ecosystems, rising global temperatures also have the potential to change them over longer time periods.
Evidence suggests that since the 1990s, less water vapor has been present in the atmosphere, and as a result, 59% of vegetated areas around the world have pronounced browning and slower growth rates.
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