A study suggests that even a little global warming accelerates mass extinctions, painting a grim picture for species around the world.
Image: AFP/Getty Images
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We have been taken in by the fundamental misunderstanding that the effects of global warming and climate change will not be felt within the next few decades. That's the conclusion of a recent study, conducted by the University of Arizona.
Almost half of all the species investigated in the study are already affected by "local extinction," a term used whenever a species no longer occurs in its native habitat, according John Wiens, one of the authors.
The evolutionary biologist and his team published the results of their investigation in the journal PLOS Biology. They claim that of 976 species studied, 450 are no longer living in their native regions. The results apply for regions where higher than average temperatures are already being measured, including all over Asia, Europe, North and South America, and Africa.
For their investigation, Wiens and his colleagues evaluated other studies focusing on changes in the number of species in certain areas over the past few decades. In some cases, they had completely disappeared.
"Local extinctions related to climate change are already very common," Wiens writes. "Even given the relatively modest rise in global temperatures that has occurred so far."
The global average temperature is now about one degree higher than in pre-industrial times. The researchers expect a dramatic impact on biodiversity if the average temperatures continue to rise.
At the edge, looking down
Past weeks have seen abundant news about threatened and endangered animals. Climate change and poaching are among the biggest threats - but awareness is on the rise. DW rounds up the latest news.
Image: picture-alliance/Woodfall/Photoshot/M. Hill
No walking hibernation
Polar bears are great hunters on icy surfaces, but global warming is shrinking the areas where they can forage. These bears had previously been thought to be able to enter into a walking hibernation state to save energy when they didn't get enough food. The bad news: A study confirmed the white-furred predators have no such ability. This translates into a higher risk for the species.
Image: AFP/Getty Images/P. J. Richards
Cecil, the beloved lion
An American trophy hunter killed one of the most famous animals in Zimbabwe: Cecil the lion, a star at the Hwange National Park. Cecil was lured out of the park, shot with a bow and arrow, then killed with a gun after 40 hours. The case went viral on social media - with celebrities, politicians, and individuals expressing their support for the strengthening of laws against illegal wildlife trade.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Zumaress
Elephant family killed
As the world mourned the death of Cecil the lion, five elephants were killed in Kenya. Four young elephants and their mother were found dead with their tusks removed in a protected park near the border with Tanzania. Poaching for the ivory trade kills hundreds of elephants every year. These huge mammals could be extinct in the wild within a human generation, conservationists have warned.
Image: picture-alliance/Woodfall/Photoshot/M. Hill
And then there were four
The Czech zoo in Dvur Kralove reported that Nabire, a 31-year-old female rhino, died on July 27, 2015. Nabire spent her entire life in captivity. After her death, only four other northern white rhinos remain in the world: one at San Diego Zoo, and three at Kenya's Ol Pejeta Conservancy. The three were moved together there in 2009 to increase their breeding chances - without success.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/CTK Photo/D. Tanecek
Protected marine species as seafood
In Guaymas, Mexico, more than 800 kilograms of cooked, dried and frozen seahorses and sea cucumbers were found being served in an Asian restaurant. Elsewhere in Mexico, at the airport in Tijuana, 274 totoaba fish that are in risk of extinction were intercepted before being shipped to China. All these animals are species protected under law in Mexico.
Image: picture-alliance/A. Hall/R. Harding
Crocodiles not safe either
Around 50 saltwater crocodile heads were found in an old freezer dumped in a remote Australian town. When alive, these crocodiles can grow up to 7 meters (23 feet) long and weigh more than a ton. A thriving market for their highly prized skins poses the main risk for the protected reptiles.
Image: Getty Images/I. Waldie
Too warm for salmon
More than 250,000 sockeye salmon returning from the ocean to spawn in the Columbia and Snake rivers in the US have either died or are threatened with death due to warm water temperatures after record heat in June. Idaho has made efforts to trap and move the fish into cooler waters, as they were once on the brink of extinction.
Image: picture alliance/blickwinkel/H. Schulz
Airlines ban hunting trophy transport
After the recent poaching cases of Cecil the lion and an elephant family in Kenya, three American airline companies announced they would ban the shipment of hunting trophies. Delta Air Lines made the decision after nearly 400,000 people signed a petition through the website change.org. American Airlines and United Airlines followed suit.
Image: Imago/Xinhua/N. Celaya
Cecil's legacy
The UN approved a plan to combat global wildlife smuggling, reflecting growing global opposition to poaching. Countries are urged to target poachers, provide better economic alternatives to communities, strengthen laws on wildlife trade and better educate people to reduce market demand. These measures provide hope for many endangered species - including the Philippine eagle, pictured above.