鸟类与全球气候变化

鸟类与全球气候变化

下周在哥本哈根召开联合国气候变化会议，国际鸟盟将陈述气候变迁对鸟类生存的影响。

Birds and climate change: indicators of a changing world

04-12-2009

Next week, the world's governments are meeting at the United Nation's Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen, Denmark to attempt to agree action to tackle climate change. The outcomes of this will have resounding consequences for biodiversity.

Climate change is already having multiple impacts on birds and their habitats, and is exacerbating many of the factors which have put one in eight of the world's birds at risk of extinction. Many species may have to shift their ranges to survive, and considerably more losers than winners are expected.

One global study estimates that 15–37% of species could be committed to extinction by 2050 as a consequence of climate change; another that each degree of warming could drive another 100-500 bird species extinct. Temperature rises beyond 2 °C are predicted to lead to catastrophic effects on birds, nature, people and the global economy.

Climate change is impacting birds in several ways:

[list]

[*]range shifts and contractions (poleward in latitude and upward in altitude)

[*]population declines

[*]changes in behaviour and phenology such as the timing of egg-laying, breeding, and emergence of insects as food source

[*]disruption of species interactions (predators and prey) and communities

[*]exacerbation of other threats and stresses, such as disease, invasive species, and habitat fragmentation, destruction and degradation

[*]increased extreme weather events

[*]loss of coastal habitats including feeding areas for shorebirds and nesting sites for seabirds, or entire island ecosystems, due to sea-level rise

[*]ocean warming effecting ocean productivity, bringing knock-on effects further up the food change

[/list]

"The BirdLife Partnership is involved in several ground-breaking studies monitoring the impacts of climate change on birds", said Melanie Heath, BirdLife's Senior Advisor on Climate Change.

"For example, analyses of citizen-gathered data from the past 40 years by Audubon (BirdLife in the USA) revealed that 58% of the 305 widespread species that winter on the continent have shifted significantly north since 1968, some by hundreds of kilometres."

In this study, movement was detected among species of every type, including more than 70% of highly adaptable forest birds. Only 38% of grassland species exhibited movement however, reflecting the constraints of their severely-depleted habitat and suggesting that they now face a combined threat of the loss of habitat and climate space. Audubon scientists say the ongoing trend of movement by some 177 species - closely correlated to long-term winter temperature increases - reveals an undeniable link to the changing climate.

Another important project that BirdLife has been involved in is A Climatic Atlas of European Breeding Birds. Described as a 'landmark' in our understanding of how climate change will affect wildlife, the atlas uses 'climate envelope modelling', and predicts that without vigorous and immediate action against climate change, the potential future distribution of the average European bird species will shift by nearly 550 km north-east by the end of this century, reduce in size by a fifth, and overlap the current range by only 40%. Three quarters of all Europe's nesting bird species are likely to suffer declines in range. Arctic and sub-Arctic birds, and some Iberian species, are projected to suffer the greatest potential range loss. Projected changes for some species found only in Europe or with only small populations elsewhere, suggest that climate change could set some on a path to extinction.

By 2100, sea-level rise could be between 0.5 and 1.4m, irreversibly altering small islands, reefs, atolls and, in turn, the low-lying coastal and intertidal habitats of many shore-nesting birds such as terns. A disproportionately high number of threatened birds occur on islands. Research in the North-western Hawaiian Islands suggests that sea-level rise could cause the loss of a significant proportion of the nesting sites for the Vulnerable Laysan Phoebastria immutabilis and Endangered Black-footed Albatross P. nigripes, and of the most populous remaining breeding sites for the Near Threatened Tristram’s Storm-petrel Oceanodroma tristrami. Similar sea-level rise scenarios applied throughout the Pacific would virtually eliminate the Endangered Phoenix Petrel Pterodroma alba and Vulnerable White-throated Storm-petrel Nesofregetta fuliginosa.

BirdLife’s data shows that over 400 bird species have already had documented climate-driven impacts to date. Given that the actual rise in global average temperature to date has been relatively modest, this is sobering. It suggests that the impact of future climate change on biological communities, and consequently ecosystem integrity, will be severe unless global emissions are cut by the amount needed to limit global average temperature rises to well below 2°C above pre-industrial levels. The world’s leaders need to act now and reach agreement on a fair, ambitious and binding deal in Copenhagen.

Simba 2009-12-8 18:08

国际鸟盟提出的五项要点

http://www.birdlife.org/news/news/2009/12/cop_start_5_asks.html[/url]

Global warning - BirdLife's 5 asks for Copenhagen

07-12-2009

BirdLife is the world’s largest network of conservation organisations, and BirdLife Partners from 19 countries are currently in Copenhagen working to ensure that a new deal is agreed that will tackle the global threats posed by climate change to people and nature.

“The BirdLife Partnership are asking the world’s leaders to agree concrete targets in Copenhagen over the next two weeks to reduce greenhouse gas emissions”, said Melanie Heath – Senior Advisor on Climate Change at BirdLife.

Today marks the start of the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen where Governments are meeting to agree action to tackle climate change. It is critical that a new global climate change deal is agreed before it’s too late.

In the last century the Earth’s surface temperature has risen by an average of 0.74°C. Temperature rises beyond 2°C are predicted to lead to catastrophic effects on nature, people and the global economy. “Climate change is happening”, added Melanie Heath. “In some places the average temperature has already risen well above the 2°C threshold. There is a window between now and 2015 within which it may be possible to significantly slow down or lower the expected increases in global temperatures”.

Climate change impacts including drought, crop failure, flooding, sea-level rise, and extreme weather events are already being felt across the world, with the poorest people and most vulnerable ecosystems hit hardest. Plant and animal ranges are already shifting poleward and upward, and studies suggest many species will not be able to keep up with their changing climate space.

BirdLife believes it is essential that the Copenhagen outcomes recognise the vital importance of safeguarding biodiversity, ecosystems and the essential services they provide in climate change adaptation and mitigation”, said Melanie Heath.

Healthy, bio-diverse environments play a vital role in maintaining and increasing resilience to climate change and helping to mitigate it’s effects. By conserving habitats rich in carbon, such as forests and peatlands, we can ensure that carbon remains stored in these ecosystems and also continues to be sequestered from the atmosphere.

Healthy ecosystems also play a vital role in climate change adaptation through protecting the natural resource base, providing alternative livelihood options, and maintaining resilience to future climate.

BirdLife has joined a consortium of around 500 environment and development NGOs, the Climate Action Network, which is working to llimit climate change to sustainable levels and is calling for a fair, ambitious and binding deal in Copenhagen.

The BirdLife Partnership believes any global deal agreed in Copenhagen must address our 5 actions as follows:

1. Cut global emissions by the amount needed to limit global average temperature rises to less than 2°C above pre-industrial levels. Developed countries should take the lead in cutting emissions, but rapidly industrialising developing nations must act too. Global emissions must peak and decline well before 2020, and go to 80% below 1990 levels by 2050. Industrialised countries must take on targets of 40% reductions below 1990 levels by 2020.

2. Recognise the vital importance of safeguarding biodiversity, ecosystems and the essential services they provide in climate change mitigation, in particular, reducing emissions from deforestation and degradation (REDD). Tropical deforestation accounts for 15-20% of all human-induced emissions, and must be reduced to zero by 2020. REDD should prioritise conservation of natural tropical forests because they are the most carbon dense, and must exclude conversion of natural forests to industrial forests or plantations. REDD must include provisions which ensure conservation of biodiversity because it is the plants and animals in natural forests that help create their carbon density. REDD must respect, support and promote the rights of local and indigenous peoples.

3. Recognise the vital importance of safeguarding biodiversity, ecosystems and the essential services they provide in climate change adaptation. Healthy bio-diverse environments play a vital role in maintaining and increasing resilience to climate change. Copenhagen outcomes should encompass taking an ecosystem approach to all adaptation, should refer to the direct use of ecosystems as part of a strategy to help people adapt to the adverse effects of climate change, and should recognise vulnerable ecosystems as a priority concern.

4. Provide funding for developing countries to reduce emissions from deforestation, enable adaptation to climate change, and support low-carbon development. At least $200 billion will be needed annually by 2020, including $35 billion for REDD, and $100 billion to enable developing countries to adapt to the inevitable impacts of climate change.

5. Ensure that when developed countries account for their land-use sectors they account fully for carbon emissions to, and removals from, the atmosphere. Current rules enable countries to hide emissions whilst claiming credit for carbon storage, and the rules proposed in Copenhagen are shaping up to be even worse than the old ones.

Simba 2009-12-11 08:53

鸟盟的建议：保持健全生态系统的重要性

[url]http://www.birdlife.org/news/news/2009/12/partners.html[/url]

BirdLife's case for the role of ecosystems in climate change adaptation

10-12-2009

One of BirdLife's '5 Asks' at the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Copenhagen is for the recognition of the vital importance of safeguarding biodiversity, ecosystems and the essential services they provide in climate change adaptation.

Climate change impacts including drought, crop failure, sea-level rise and extreme weather events are already being felt across the world, with the poorest people and most vulnerable communities hit hardest. The effects of climate change will almost certainly persist for centuries, and depending on the level of mitigation achieved, will be of increasing severity. Adaptation is necessary to cope with present and future impacts.

Healthy, bio-diverse environments play a vital role in maintaining and increasing resilience to climate change, and reducing risk and vulnerability. This is particularly critical to the world’s 2.7 billion poor people, many of whom depend on natural resources directly for their livelihood and survival.

To coincide with the Copenhagen conference, BirdLife has published a new report Partners with nature: How healthy ecosystems are helping the world’s most vulnerable adapt to climate change.

BirdLife International's experience shows that supporting the application of local knowledge and community engagement can build the resilience of natural and societal systems, delivering locally appropriate solutions to help communities, countries and economies adapt to climate change.

The role of ecosystems in climate change adaptation can usefully be applied at all scales: local, landscape, national, transboundary and international. The BirdLife Partnership’s unique local-to-global structure has enabled structures and processes to be established that contribute to long-term and flexible approaches to climate change adaptation.

"Of BirdLife's 100-plus national Partners, more than 60 are in low income countries", said Melanie Heath, BirdLife's Senior Advisor on Climate Change. "BirdLife Partners are working in many areas already impacted by climate change and in others where it will add to current vulnerabilities."

Partners with Nature, includes 14 examples of BirdLife Partners' work with vulnerable communities

The case studies, drawn from different geographic regions, include:

conserving and restoring forests to stabilise slopes and regulate water flows, preventing flooding and landslides as rainfall levels and intensity increase.

establishing diverse agroforestry systems to cope better with the changing temperatures, water shortages and pest infestations associated with climate change.

sustainable management of wetlands and floodplains for maintenance of water flow and quality, acting as floodwater reservoirs and as important stores of water in times of drought.

coastal defence through the maintenance and/or restoration of mangroves and other coastal wetlands, which act as coastal buffers, helping to reduce flooding and erosion and protect against cyclone damage.

integrating 'nature-based' infrastructure and technology into hard engineering approaches, to avoid damage to ecosystems.

The case studies demonstrate that including the role of ecosystems in different approaches to adaptation can provide many benefits. They are accessible to rural and poor communities, and are often more cost-effective and enduring, because they provide local benefits, and can be locally managed and maintained. They balance immediate needs with preparation for long-term impacts, providing alternative livelihood options in the face of climate change uncertainty. They combine indigenous and local knowledge with external expertise. They contribute to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity, and to climate change mitigation by maintaining carbon storage.

"Above all, the international community must work with genuine commitment and urgency to secure a legally binding agreement that cuts global emissions" —Melanie Heath, BirdLife

"BirdLife is calling for the importance of healthy ecosystems to be effectively written into national, regional and international climate change and development policy", said Joanna Phillips, Head of International Sustainable Development Policy at the RSPB (BirdLife in the UK) and co-author of Partners with Nature.

BirdLife believes that to create a climate-resilient society, adaptation priorities need to be agreed in-country, through nationally-led, inclusive and participatory processes. Therefore, BirdLife urges governments to base policy on sound science, recognise ecosystems as cross-cutting and underpinning for adaptation, and to address them within national adaptation frameworks, strategies and plans. They should significantly step up efforts to protect nature and biodiversity, as a prime strategy to ensure ecosystem resilience, recognising this as vital to addressing climate change.

Local communities and resource users should be fully involved in adaptation planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation – and support and information should be readily available to enable this.

Sectors such as agriculture, energy and transport should apply an ecosystem approach to business planning and delivery, and ensure that ecosystem resilience is strengthened rather than weakened by their activities. They should work with other sectors in assessing risks posed by climate change and finding adaptation solutions.

BirdLife believes that the international community (including governments, international and regional institutions, and multinational corporations) has a vital role to play. They should ensure adequate funding for developing countries to adapt to the impacts of climate change, recognising the urgent and immediate needs of the most vulnerable countries. This will mean both meeting their current commitments, and providing new funding.

"Above all, the international community must work with genuine commitment and urgency to secure a legally binding agreement that cuts global emissions by the amount needed to limit global average temperature rises to less than 2° Celsius above pre-industrial levels", said Melanie Heath

[url]http://www.birdlife.org/climate_change/pdfs/Ecosystemsandadaption.pdf