Biodiversity and ecosystem services: climate change impacts on species extinctions

The papers in this volume discuss projections of climate change impacts upon humans and ecosystems under a global mean temperature rise of 4°C above preindustrial levels. Like most studies, they are mainly single-sector or single-region-based assessments. Even the multi-sector or multi-region approaches generally consider impacts in sectors and regions independently, ignoring interactions. Extreme weather and adaptation processes are often poorly represented and losses of ecosystem services induced by climate change or human adaptation are generally omitted. This paper addresses this gap by reviewing some potential interactions in a 4°C world, and also makes a comparison with a 2°C world. In a 4°C world, major shifts in agricultural land use and increased drought are projected, and an increased human population might increasingly be concentrated in areas remaining wet enough for economic prosperity. Ecosystem services that enable prosperity would be declining, with carbon cycle feedbacks and fire causing forest losses. There is an urgent need for integrated assessments considering the synergy of impacts and limits to adaptation in multiple sectors and regions in a 4°C world. By contrast, a 2°C world is projected to experience about one-half of the climate change impacts, with concomitantly smaller challenges for adaptation. Ecosystem services, including the carbon sink provided by the Earth’s forests, would be expected to be largely preserved, with much less potential for interaction processes to increase challenges to adaptation. However, demands for land and water for biofuel cropping could reduce the availability of these resources for agricultural and natural systems. Hence, a whole system approach to mitigation and adaptation, considering interactions, potential human and species migration, allocation of land and water resources and ecosystem services, will be important in either a 2°C or a 4°C world.

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CLIMATE RISKS ASSESSMENT, OPPORTUNITIES RELATED TO THE EVOLUTION OF ECOSYSTEMS AND LIMITATION OF THE PROVISION OF ECOSYSTEM SERVICES: LANDSCAPE CASE OF SOUTH-KIVU (ALBERTINE RIFLT, DRC)

International Journal of Research -GRANTHAALAYAH ◽

10.29121/granthaalayah.v8.i7.2020.426 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (7) ◽

pp. 98-117

Author(s):

ARUNA SEFU ◽

KIMENYA MUSAILWA ◽

BITUNDU MWANYA TANYA ◽

M’OPANDU MONDONGE ◽

LWIMO MUKENGE ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Democratic Republic Of Congo ◽

Climate Change Impacts ◽

P Value ◽

Vegetable Production ◽

Water Production ◽

Negative Effects ◽

Climate Risks ◽

South Kivu

The analysis and characterization of climate variability over a long five-year period proved fundamental to understanding the impacts of climate change and the vulnerability of ecosystem services in the South Kivu province in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Collection methods from surveys and literature reviews allowed us to conduct qualitative and quantitative analyses of climate change impacts and adaptation approaches based on ecosystem services. For data collection, we used surveys and inventories. The data were statistically analyzed, mainly with regression methods and arithmetic averages. The results of agro-pastoral, fisheries and water production highlight the strong influence of climate change through the decrease in products essential for local consumption. These results are confirmed by statistical analysis almost everywhere R² < 0.5 and p-value > 0.05 (except for vegetable production « p-value < 0.05», Cereal: R²= 0.54 and Legume: R²= 0.74). The same results show us that the non-regulation of river regimes and the decrease in water production by the appropriate service as a result of precipitation and temperature variability data have led to unprecedented disruption due to negative effects on the ecosystem services analyzed. The proposals of the ecosystem-based adaptation approaches as a solution and are important indicators that have assessed climate risks of ecosystem services combined with the poverty impacts of the population and its environment highly vulnerable to climate change.

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Forester Preferences on Revising Silvics of North America—a Survey of Registered Foresters in Four States

Journal of Forestry ◽

10.1093/jofore/fvab042 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Krista Merry ◽

Pete Bettinger ◽

Jacek Siry ◽

Steve McNulty ◽

Michael Gavazzi

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

North America ◽

Climate Change Impacts ◽

Adaptation Measures ◽

Us States ◽

The Past ◽

Research Findings ◽

Forest Science ◽

Source Of Information

Abstract Silvics of North America (SNA) is a widely used silvicultural manual. However, the last SNA was published in 1990. Therefore, 2,589 registered foresters were surveyed across four US states to answer two broad questions: (1) Should SNA be updated? And (2) would an updated SNA still be a useful tool for forest management? Most respondents indicated that the type and extent of content contained in the previous version of SNA was still desirable today. Aside from updating all sections with recent research findings, expansion was suggested for ecosystem services provided by species. An update to maps provided in SNA, through changes to natural ranges of tree species and other aesthetic improvement, was suggested by most survey respondents. These findings support the conclusion that the SNA would still be an essential source of information if 21st-century issues such as climate change impacts and adaptation measures were included in the update. Study Implications: There have been major changes in the environment and forest science over the past 30 years, but SNA has not been revised to reflect these changes. The results of this survey indicate that an update to SNA is warranted. The results presented here can serve as a guide for a future update of SNA.

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Securing Biodiversity, Functional Integrity, and Ecosystem Services in Drying River Networks (DRYvER)

Research Ideas and Outcomes ◽

10.3897/rio.7.e77750 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 7 ◽

Author(s):

Thibault Datry ◽

Daniel Allen ◽

Roger Argelich ◽

Jose Barquin ◽

Nuria Bonada ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Water Use ◽

Latin American ◽

Climate Change Impacts ◽

Well Being ◽

Ecosystem Functions ◽

River Networks ◽

Cascading Effects ◽

The Usa

River networks are among Earth’s most threatened hot-spots of biodiversity and provide key ecosystem services (e.g., supply drinking water and food, climate regulation) essential to sustaining human well-being. Climate change and increased human water use are causing more rivers and streams to dry, with devastating impacts on biodiversity and ecosystem services. Currently, more than a half of the global river networks consist of drying channels, and these are expanding dramatically. However, drying river networks (DRNs) have received little attention from scientists and policy makers, and the public is unaware of their importance. Consequently, there is no effective integrated biodiversity conservation or ecosystem management strategy of DRNs. A multidisciplinary team of 25 experts from 11 countries in Europe, South America, China and the USA will build on EU efforts to assess the cascading effects of climate change on biodiversity, ecosystem functions and ecosystem services of DRNs through changes in flow regimes and water use. DRYvER (DRYing riVER networks) will gather and upscale empirical and modelling data from nine focal DRNs (case studies) in Europe (EU) and Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) to develop a meta-system framework applicable to Europe and worldwide. It will also generate crucial knowledge-based strategies, tools and guidelines for economically-efficient adaptive management of DRNs. Working closely with stakeholders and end-users, DRYvER will co-develop strategies to mitigate and adapt to climate change impacts in DRNs, integrating hydrological, ecological (including nature-based solutions), socio-economic and policy perspectives. The end results of DRYvER will contribute to reaching the objectives of the Paris Agreement and placing Europe at the forefront of research on climate change.

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Assessing the Economic Impacts of Climate Change on Mountain Forests: A Literature Review

10.1007/978-3-030-80767-2_13 ◽

2021 ◽

pp. 453-476

Author(s):

Giorgia Bottaro ◽

Paola Gatto ◽

Davide Pettenella

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Economic Valuation ◽

Economic Value ◽

Climate Change Impacts ◽

Economic Assessment ◽

Mountain Forest ◽

Mountain Forests ◽

Natural Ecosystems ◽

Climate Change Effects

AbstractThe effects of climate change are increasingly more visible on natural ecosystems. Being mountain forest ecosystems among the most vulnerable and the most affected, they appear to be, at the same time, the most suitable for the assessment of climate change effects on ecosystem services. Assuming this, we review the literature on the economic assessment of climate change impacts on European mountain forests. Initially, the trends in the provision of mountain forest ecosystem services are discussed. We, then, considered the effects on forest structure and tree physiology, these two being strictly associated with the capability of the ecosystem to provide ecosystem services. The results have been grouped into a table that displays the trend, the quality and the quantity of the information found. Subsequently, the main methods that can be employed to assess the economic value of the different ecosystem services have been described. For each method, some implementation examples have been introduced to better understand its functioning. Concluding, the main gaps still existing in literature concerning the effects of climate change on ecosystem services provided by mountain forests have been highlighted. Finally, some more considerations about the existing methods for the economic valuation of ecosystem services have been done.

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Response of Biodiversity, Ecosystems, and Ecosystem Services to Climate Change in China: A Review

Ecologies ◽

10.3390/ecologies2040018 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 2 (4) ◽

pp. 313-331

Author(s):

Haijiang Yang ◽

Xiaohua Gou ◽

Dingcai Yin

Keyword(s):

Climate Change ◽

Ecosystem Services ◽

Resource Management ◽

Natural Resource Management ◽

Natural Resource ◽

Species Interactions ◽

Environmental Changes ◽

Climate Change Impacts ◽

Well Being ◽

The Impact

Climate change is having a significant impact on the global ecosystem and is likely to become increasingly important as this phenomenon intensifies. Numerous studies in climate change impacts on biodiversity, ecosystems, and ecosystem services in China have been published in recent decades. However, a comprehensive review of the topic is needed to provide an improved understanding of the history and driving mechanisms of environmental changes within the region. Here we review the evidence for changes in climate and the peer-reviewed literature that assesses climate change impacts on biodiversity, ecosystem, and ecosystem services at a China scale. Our main conclusions are as follows. (1) Most of the evidence shows that climate change (the increasing extreme events) is affecting the change of productivity, species interactions, and biological invasions, especially in the agro-pastoral transition zone and fragile ecological area in Northern China. (2) The individuals and populations respond to climate change through changes in behavior, functions, and geographic scope. (3) The impact of climate change on most types of services (provisioning, regulating, supporting, and cultural) in China is mainly negative and brings threats and challenges to human well-being and natural resource management, therefore, requiring costly societal adjustments. In general, although great progress has been made, the management strategies still need to be further improved. Integrating climate change into ecosystem services assessment and natural resource management is still a major challenge. Moving forward, it is necessary to evaluate and research the effectiveness of typical demonstration cases, which will contribute to better scientific management of natural resources in China and the world.

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