Biodiversity, Countryside Management and Climate Change

02-Mar-11

Back to Biodiversity & Countryside Management Group
Back to EPP Network's Planning to live with climate change
Back to Network's homepage
Back to Members' Area

Climate Change Champion  

This page was written and is updated by the Biodiversity and Countryside Management Group's Climate Change Champion, Stephen Isaac (AIEMA), an environmental scientist at Halcrow. Stephen has an MSc in Environmental Science, Policy and Planning and is the author of several published articles on climate change. His principal work and experience is in Habitats Regulations Assessment, Strategic Environmental Assessment, Ecology and Renewable Energy. 

Biodiversity, Countryside Management and Climate Change                 

In the natural world, climate change is known to affect:

  • the timing of reproduction or migration events
  • species distributions
  • population sizes
  • growing season lengths

Observed changes in regional climate and the types, intensity and frequency of disturbances, such as fires and droughts, have caused direct changes to the species composition and productivity of ecosystems. 

The frequency of pest and disease outbreaks, particularly in forests, has increased in some regions. The frequency of extreme weather events such as tropical cyclones, floods and freezing events has also changed and caused direct impacts on ecosystems. Forecast climate impacts on biodiversity are wide-ranging and constantly being updated.

Observed trends

Scientists have observed climate-induced changes in at least 420 physical processes and biological species or communities (UNFCC, 2009). The following broad examples show the fundamental types of changes that have been occurring:

Climate and phenology trends:

  • Changes to insect and bird migratory patterns in Africa and Australia
  • Across Europe, the length of the growing season increased by approximately 11 days from 1959 to 1993. Butterflies, dragonflies, moths, beetles, and other insects are now living at higher latitudes and altitudes, where previously it was too cold to survive.
  • In Europe, mating and egg-laying of some bird species has occurred earlier in the season -- in Britain, for example, egg-laying by 20 of 65 species, including long-distance migrants, advanced by an average of eight days between 1971 and 1995.

Climate and species distribution trends:

  • In the Alps, some plant species have been migrating upward by one to four meters per decade, and some plants previously found only on mountaintops have vanished.
  • The range of butterflies in Europe and North America has shifted polewards and to higher elevations
  • Many deep-water fish species in the North Sea have shifted their latitude and depth over a 25-year period

Climate and physiological trends:

  • North-American wood-rat body weight declined with an increase in temperature over an eight year from the mid 1990s
  • Scottish juvenile red deer grew faster in warmer springs leading to increased adult body size
  • Painted turtles have grown larger in warmer years and reached sexual maturity faster during warm sets of years

Climate and population size trends:

  • Posidonia algal meadows have declined in size in the Mediterranean ocean
  • Seawater temperature increase has affected the population structure of long-finned pilot whales in the North Atlantic
  • Parasite populations, such as ‘Plasmodium’, responsible for avian malaria, can thrive with higher temperatures

Predicted impacts

Climate change will affect individuals, populations, species and ecosystem composition and function directly or indirectly. Direct effects include changes in temperature and rainfall, whereas indirect effects include climate change altering the intensity and frequency of disturbances like forest fires and floods. Other indirect effects could affect ocean ecosystems, such as through shifting ocean circulation patterns or ocean acidification. In 2007 the IPCC reported that approximately 20-30% of plant and animal species assessed so far are likely to be at increased risk of extinction if increases in global average temperature exceed 1.5-2.5°C. 

Unlike previous climatic changes in the earth’s history, the rapidity of this latest climate change may be too fast for some species, such as long-lived tree species, to adapt and migrate.  There are also more human impacts on the earth’s fauna and flora than during previous climatic shifts. For example, physical barriers such as urban settlements and roads may prevent some range shifts. Other impacts that may affect species survival in addition to or in synergy with climate change include pollution, deforestation, hunting, habitat fragmentation and industrial-scale agriculture. 

It is uncertain what the exact global temperature increase will be over the next century but this year the IPCC begins its fifth assessment round, which will provide finalised climate forecasts by 2014. The UK Climate Impacts Programme is also publishing new forecast scenarios for predicted climate change in Britain.

Resources

Climate Change - general

Climate Change and Biodiversity

If you would like to add any resources to this page, please e-mail the Network

RTPI LINKS

 
Author:
Trish Cookson
Publisher:
The Royal Town Planning Institute
Date:
02-Mar-11

This article has been read 1582 times.