A group of British scientists from the Universities of Exeter, Manchester, and Cambridge have found that two-thirds of key biodiversity areas (KBA) in tropical forests have already experienced climate change associated with new temperature conditions.
Tropical KBAs identify the most important places on Earth for flora and fauna habitats.
The team found that 66% of key biodiversity hotspots in tropical forests have shifted to new temperature regimes, with more than 40% of the changes recorded falling outside the previously recorded range.
The proportion of tropical KBAs with changed climate was particularly high in Africa and Latin America (72% and 59%), while in Asia and Oceania, the number of tropical KBAs that transitioned to new temperature regimes was 49%.
The remaining 34% have not yet shown any new temperature patterns, and the researchers suggest that these areas could become important refuges for species diversity.
The paper highlights that of the 34% of tropical forest KBAs that are not experiencing temperature changes, more than half are currently unprotected.
By conducting the first pan-tropical analyses of changes in below-canopy temperature conditions in KBAs, we identify KBAs that are acting as climate refugia and should be considered for expansion of the conservation network in response to the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework target to conserve 30% of land area by 2030. The study was published in the scientific journal Conservation Letters (ConLet).
