I regularly post information on this blog about the effects
of climate change and new data which is attempting to map out the extent of climate change. There has also been posts about how climate change is effecting
the conservation of some species, but in this post I want to talk about it all in a
wider context whilst focusing on one subject.
Nature reserves and National parks, are areas which
sadly are a must in today’s world if there is any hope of certain niche species
continued existence and it is these I want to write about today.
A lot of issues surround the creation of these areas: economic, social and
environmental to name just a few but in this post climate change will be the
primary issues we’ll be addressing. The problem with climate change and the positioning
of reserves isn’t not a simple answer as it will be constantly evolving as the
climate changes.
So the main issue is where exactly do you place the reserve?
This may sound like a rather simple question as you put it in a site so it
encompasses as much of the targets species range as possible right? This would
be the answer if it wasn’t for climate change!
The problem lays in the fact that as the average global
temperature the natural range of the species which needs conservation is
constantly shifting primarily towards the poles. So a decision needs to be made
do you protect an area which encases the animals current range? It’s projected
future range? Or a bit of both? Throw in other problems like habitat
destruction creating fragmentation and conflict over other reasons and that is
why many reserves take years of planning and arguments to actually locate.
The problem is extended even further when you are attempting
to protect a species which either migrates or possesses a large range. Then a decision
needs to be made of which section do you protect, which area does the animal
come into conflict with humans the most? This was seen in several species of
birds for instance like the Spoon-billed Sandpiper which winters in the warmer
climate of Myanmar where it is hunted and so the numbers returning to Europe in
the spring where significantly reduced. So for a species such as this work is
needed in Asia if the population decline is going to be stop.
Overall there are more questions than real information in
this blog post but I wanted to write about it so as to bring just some of the issues
the creation of reserves have to overcome to people attention.
Thanks for reading!
Check out this link about the Spoon-billed Sandpiper
Check out this video from Serrasolses Brothers (just as
background this paddle usually takes 3 days)
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