Climate Change And Wildlife

Wildlife refers to all animal and plant life that thrives in the wild and is undomesticated. The natural world is expansive and diverse, with millions of species and probably millions more that have never been discovered in the seas and deep within tropical forests and other places.

Climate change affects wildlife because it affects the planet, which is their home. Climate effects determine the physical characteristics of an ecosystem.

For example, ample amounts of rain and hot humid weather characterize tropical forests, which then support a variety of wildlife which are adapted to such kind of climate.

With climate change, entire regional and micro-climates are altered, with different areas globally experiencing longer and unexpected droughts, flash floods and sudden heavy rain, tropical cyclones and sea level rise, permafrost thaw and glacier retreat, heatwaves and wildfires.

Climate change first of all aggravates other threats to wildlife such as poaching and habitat loss. Illegal animal trade flourishes in areas where there is no other economic activity with greater income. In times of droughts or heavy rains that threaten forms of livelihoods like agriculture or transport, people might turn to wildlife as an economic asset to be exploited.

Habitat loss occurs with shifting climatic patterns causing loss of ideal conditions for suited species. An example is polar bears and associated Arctic wildlife which are threatened by melting sea ice, permafrost thaw and glacier retreat. The Arctic is warming at twice the rate found elsewhere.

With the possibility of an ice free summer becomes more likely, human development like new shipping routes will negatively interfere with the environment Arctic wildlife is used to and is likely to introduce more human wildlife conflict. These animals will likely move further polewards till there is no more space.

Second, climate change will cause water scarcity and affect quality globally. Africa’s beautiful wildlife, like the majestic elephants are straight in the middle of this human caused challenge. Water is as important to animals as it is to people. All living things need water. Drinking water is needed by all species, and lack of it causes competition and increased animal and plant death.

Elephants as a good example can take about 300 liters of water daily and splash this liquid on themselves to cool down on a hot day. They also enjoy mud baths for the same reason. Rhinos do the same to also remove ticks and other external infestations. Life in the African wild thrives around water sources. Different birds nest near watering holes, rivers and springs. Their predators frequent the area, aquatic wildlife live in water, and all species visit regularly for fresh water. It’s social.

Water in terms of rainfall brings up sufficient amounts of grass and forage, which supports the entire food web of animals. With little rainfall, there’s more competition for food, animals have poor nutrition and are susceptible to diseases and in the end results to mortality.

On the other hand, flash floods and heavy rains can drown some animal nests. This sudden influx of water can drown tree roots (i.e. most trees grow in non-water logged soil). It also causes pollution of freshwater sources as clean and dirty water mix. Water flowing too fast does not allow for natural purification processes. Floods increase human wildlife conflict as aquatic species like crocodiles and hippos invade farms and homes as the waters encroach on human settlements.

The same happens with climate induced wildfires and droughts. Animals raid farms and human habitations looking for shelter, food and water. Farmers experience economic losses and animals are killed.

High temperatures caused by climate change affect reproduction rates and a lesser number of animals are born. Young ones have a lower survival rate. Lions and turtles are among species that are affected by heat in this way. Turtles need the right balance of temperatures to hatch their young. Turtle eggs need a cooler upper nest and warmer lower nest. But with warmer ocean sands in beaches, a disproportionately higher number of females are being hatched leading to future breeding problems and putting the future of this species in jeopardy because of the unequal sex ratio.

A pack of African lions

Turtles are also faced by rising sea levels which can flood nests. Cyclones destroy nests too. Hotter sea water because of climate change cause marine heat waves and coral bleaching. Marine heatwaves are zones of hotter than normal water. They are almost always dead zones devoid of life because hot water dissolves less oxygen which means fish and other organisms die off. Marine heat waves affect breeding areas because fish need cool waters to house nurseries. Therefore less numbers of fish are being hatched which affects the dependent food chain and the fisheries and tourism industries. Fish therefore migrate polewards.

High temperatures affect pollinators like bees who depend on flowers. Plants are maturing and flowering earlier and this interferes with the lifecycle of bees which coincides with plant stages. Agriculture and therefore food security, and all natural vegetation would not exist without bees and other insects.

Shifting climatic patterns affect migration of birds like thrush, flamingoes and their like, some which move from one continent to another going to their traditional nesting grounds in a given season.

Sea level rise threatens to drown mangroves and coral reefs. Mangroves house one of a kind species that are so unique that they’re found nowhere else. Rising sea waters will swallow up these coastal forests faster than they can migrate inland. Also this water can inundate coral with sediment, stop light supply and suffocate corals.

Coral bleaching is induced by hot waters which cause bleaching and predispose reefs to disease. If the world hits the 1.5 degrees above preindustrial times mark, 99% of coral will be wiped out. Higher amounts of dissolved carbon dioxide makes the ocean more acidic interfering with coral life processes including calcification and formation of skeletons.

Coral reefs are endangered by tropical cyclones which physically bash these structures and bring so much water. Storm surge and sea level rise destroy beaches and cause coastal erosion.

Reefs are threatened by sediment and agricultural effluence from rivers emptying into the sea but this is usually filtered by mangroves and sea grasses and others. But this protection factor is fast changing because of human activities and climate change.

Invasive species are those that are non-native and not indigenous to a given ecosystem. They are completely new and would typically be unsuited to these areas. But with a changing climate, hotter and wetter weather becomes more common causing these visiting species to start colonizing new areas.

Invasive species have no natural predators so have an unfair advantage or upper hand in competing with native species. They increase competition for food and water and edge out local species. This concept applies to new diseases especially those that are vector borne, like carried by ticks and parasites. These fast latch on to hapless species which haven’t yet adapted and cause harm.

An example of climate change caused invasive species are the desert locusts that flew over Kenya and other horn of Africa countries because of unusually warm and wet weather. This brought the creatures over vast agricultural acreage affecting farming output and livelihoods.

In mountains, plants adapted to extremely cold climate have to move upwards following the zero degree line. But space might run out for these extremely rare species. However plants aren’t as mobile as animals and have it hard. There is now a faster succession of ecosystems as mountain vegetation belts take over new areas as climate conditions change from the usual.

Affected by this are animals dependent on particular vegetation types.

Climate caused wildfires such as from extreme drought and heatwaves kill wildlife in forests and grasslands directly. They also burn up trees and expose them to disease. Forests are vulnerable to invasive species as well.

In the face of all this, it is important to try to save as much of our natural heritage as possible. First is by protected areas. This refers to natural spaces protected by law on which human development is not allowed and so offer a refuge for wildlife.

These spaces need to be interconnected which means guaranteeing wildlife migration corridors to bolster breeding between different populations and ensuring genetically strong offspring. This means outlawing human development which often acts as physical barriers to dispersal.

Helping vulnerable species through use of laboratory grown and scientific methods to develop resilient species varieties like in the case of coral helps.

One of the most important things is to educate people on wildlife and climate change. Wildlife is not a nuisance and not a competitor in land use. Conserved land is not idle land and wildlife is not preventing people from exploiting their natural resources.

Rather animals are a heritage for a given community, nation or the globe in its entirety. Animals and their ecosystems help mitigate climate change by being part of the carbon cycle, where nature acts as a sink.

All organic matter including animal and plant bodies, and dung not only enhance soil fertility, ensure water infiltration and percolation, but also vastly increase soil carbon stores.

One innovative way I’ve seen in managing human-wildlife conflict especially in the climate change era is to build animal-sensitive infrastructure i.e. green and expansive underpasses or overpasses over roads and railways that allow wildlife to move from one section of a protected area to another or from one population to another. It reduces road kill. Another is to have warning signs so that road users can be sensitive to animal populations moving nearby.

Yet another is to ensure minimal disturbance of wildlife habitats e.g. limiting the number of hotels and establishments in biodiversity hotspots and sensitive areas. Also use of less noisy vehicles e.g. electric vehicles and bicycles, and even walking when that’s possible. Stop holding entertainment events in parks and reserves. It greatly stresses animals.

Wildlife conservation can succeed especially when it is led by local communities. Conservancies established by locals give a sense of ownership and benefit people economically. They see the benefit of protecting wildlife.

Promoting wildlife-positive culture and outlawing negative aspects helps.

Animal rescue shelters can come in handy especially in extended drought seasons. These can offer a home to distressed animals like orphans or those separated from their herds, sick or maimed wildlife.

Drilling of boreholes and construction of water pans and dams are good adaptation methods to supply water to wildlife during droughts.

Laws that have adequate public participation and input can be a major tool to ensure wildlife safety, as well as international cooperation. Animals and all ecosystems don’t pay heed to boundaries drawn up by people.

For example, wildebeest annually migrate from the Maasai Mara in Kenya to the Serengeti in Tanzania following the rains and grass supply. In the oceans for example, biologically sensitive spaces very often span national and international waters. The world recently made some steps toward protecting biodiversity in international waters.

Climate change is a challenge to the natural world, yet one of the effective solutions to it is nature itself, which is what nature based solutions is about.

Of course, to save this vast and wonderful planet with its beautiful and diverse wildlife, the number one solution remains to cut emissions.

Without effective mitigation, adaptation will quickly reach its limits, so act on climate.