Global Climate Change and the Effects on Terrestrial Protected Areas
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| Picture from Bonne Bay Marine Station (Photo Credit: Nicholas Curran) |
With the increased pressures from developmental expansion and the enormous quantity of visitors to Canada's protected areas, it seemed that nothing else could cause the amount of stress on these systems we see today. The fact is that climate change is a very real and very devastating source of habitat loss and thus dispersal of the main plants and animals these parks were designed to protect. For the slow and habitat sensitive species' we can expect mass extinctions due to their inability to adapt to the Canadian ecosystem shift, expected to occur at a rate of greater than 1 kilometre per year to a range of between 100 to 700 kilometres North (CPAWS and David Suzuki Foundation, 2002). Canada as a result is expected to lose an expected 46.3% of its habitat, effecting Newfoundland and Labrador by reducing a crippling 63.6%, with it the boreal forest (WWF, 2000).
In Newfoundland and Labrador, Gros Morne National Park is expected to be hit hard by climate change resulting in up to 7 degree Celsius increases in temperature, during winter alone. Also arguable changes in the precipitation have been proposed with extremes of up to 20% increases shown. These changes would result in complete modification of wetlands located behind coastal plains and also increased temperatures would result in the relative diversity on the Alpine plateau regions and the sensitive species within these ranges (Parks Canada, 2000).
Canada is not alone in this issue, the United States of America is being faced with insurmountable losses of marshland, and rares species' of palm, caused by flooding and saltwater influence, respectively. These are being linked to the global rising sea level. In India the Wild Ass Sanctuary and Kachchh Desert Sanctuary, home to gigantic flamingo populations and a habitat for the 2000 remaining wild Indian asses, is expected to be consumed by the sea and resulting in complete ecosystem destruction (WWF, 2003).
This topic is very extensive and I urge you, the reader, to indulge in many of the relevant readings I will be providing a link to below...
WWF-No Place to Hide: Effects of Climate Change on Protected Areas
http://www.worldwildlife.org/climate/Publications/WWFBinaryitem4923.pdf
David Suzuki and CPAWS-A New Climate for Conservation
http://www.davidsuzuki.org/publications/downloads/2010/NewClimate_report_DSF.pdf
Ecological Responses to Recent Climate Change
http://eebweb.arizona.edu/courses/ecol206/walther%20et%20al%20nature%202002.pdf
I was wondering if you could clarify for me, when you say NL and Labrador will lose 63% of its habitat, are you referring to just the protected areas?
ReplyDeleteAlso, what are parks and protected areas doing to mitigate or adapt to potential changes in the future climate?
Hi Corrina,
DeleteWhen mentioning the loss of habitat I am referring to the current habitat established not just the protected areas. Such as the loss of a substantial proportion of the boreal forests, even parts not encompassed by the protected areas.
Parks, especially with large boreal forests, are trying to maintain the largest proportion and the longest interconnected sections of these incredibly important areas in order to ensure the highest amount of stability. This would help to protect the species, even during times of increased habitat stress.
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