Current Antarctic conservation efforts insufficient to avoid biodiversity declines: Research
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ccording to a study by Jasmine Rachael Lee at the University of Queensland in Australia and colleagues, which was published in the open-access journal PLOS Biology, current conservation efforts are insufficient to safeguard Antarctic ecosystems, and population declines are likely to occur for 65 per cent of the continent's plants and animals by the year 2100.
Up to 84 per cent of terrestrial bird, animal, and plant groups would benefit from the implementation of ten core threat management methods at a yearly cost of USD 23 million.
To better understand which species are most vulnerable and identify the most cost-effective actions, researchers combined expert assessments with scientific data to evaluate threats and conservation strategies for Antarctica. They asked 29 experts to define possible management strategies, estimate their cost and feasibility, and assess the potential benefit to different species between now and 2100.
Climate change was identified as the most serious threat to Antarctic biodiversity and influencing global policy to limit warming was the most beneficial conservation strategy. Under current management strategies and more than 2 degrees Celsius of warming, 65 per cent of land plants and animals will decline by 2100. Emperor penguins (Aptenodytes forsteri) were identified as the most vulnerable, followed by other sea birds and soil nematode worms. However, regional management strategies could benefit up to 74 per cent of plants and animals at an estimated cost of 1.92 billion US dollars over the next 83 years, equating to 0.004 per cent of global GDP in 2019.
The regional management strategies identified as offering the greatest return on investment were minimizing the impacts of human activities, improving the planning and management of new infrastructure projects, and improving transport management.
As Antarctica faces increasing pressure from climate change and human activities, a combination of regional and global conservation efforts is needed to preserve Antarctic biodiversity and ecosystem services for future generations, the authors say.
Lee adds, "What this work shows is that climate change is the greatest threat to Antarctic species and what we need is global mitigation efforts to save them. This will not only help to secure their future but also our own."
✔️ Current Antarctic conservation efforts insufficient to avoid biodiversity declines: Research
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