Audubon California releases report on climate change and future bird loss
Acorn Woodpecker by Greg Smith
Curbing greenhouse gas emissions
will reduce future California bird loss
by William B. Monahan and Gary Langham
Up to 110 of 310 California native bird species will experience significant reductions in their geographic range in the next several decades due to climate change, according to new research from Audubon California. These reductions will be part of massive range shifts to all of the state’s bird species caused wholly or in part by the effects of climate change.
Models produced by Audubon California indicate that the magnitude of losses in California depends in large part to the steps we take now to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and provide a roadmap for ensuring that the conservation investments we make today have maximum value in an environment that is seeing major shifts due to climate change.
Audubon California built its findings by combining 40 years of data compiled by volunteers in the Audubon Christmas Bird Count with Breeding Bird Survey information and geographic climate data. As a result they have been able to create predictive models for 310 California species under different climate change mitigation scenarios.
Not only do these results show the potential benefits of aggressive action to mitigate the effects of climate change, but they also should prompt policymakers and land managers to better plan investments habitat conservation.
For the full report and press release: http://ca.audubon.org/globalWarmingReport.php
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Birds and Climate
Change:
On the Move |
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Nearly 60% of the 305 species found in North America in winter are on the move, shifting their ranges northward by an average of 35 miles. Audubon scientists analyzed 40 years of citizen-science Christmas Bird Count data — and their findings provide new and powerful evidence that global warming is having a serious impact on natural systems. Northward movement was detected among species of every type, including more than 70 percent of highly adaptable forest and feeder birds. Only grassland species were an exception - with only 38 percent mirroring the northward trend. But far from being good news for species like Eastern Meadowlark and Henslow's Sparrow, this reflects the grim reality of severely-depleted grassland habitat and suggests that these species now face a double threat from the combined stresses of habitat loss and climate adaptation. It is the complete picture of widespread movement and the failure of some species to move at all that illustrate the impacts of climate change on birds. They are sending us a powerful signal that we need to 1) take policy action to curb climate change and its impacts, and 2) help wildlife and ecosystems adapt to unavoidable habitat changes, even as we work to curb climate change itself. For the full report: http://audubon.org/bird/bacc/index.html |
