Climate change is real, "Climate
change" affects more than just a change in the weather, it refers to
seasonal changes over a long period. These climate patterns play a fundamental
role in shaping natural ecosystems, and the human economies and cultures that
depend on them. The average global surface temperature has warmed 0.8°C in the
past century and 0.6°C in the past three decades (Hansen et al., 2006),
in large part because of human activities (IPCC, 2001). A recent report
produced by the U.S. National Academy of Sciences confirms that the last few
decades of the 20th century were in fact the warmest in the past 400 years
(National Research Council, 2006). The effects of climate change such as rising
temperature and changes in precipitation are undeniably clear with impacts
already affecting ecosystems, biodiversity and people. In both developed and
developing countries, climate impacts are reverberating through the economy,
from threatening water availability to sea-level rise and extreme weather
impacts to coastal regions and tourism. In some countries, climate impacts
affect the ecosystem services that communities are largely dependent upon,
threatening development and economic stability. Future impacts are projected to
worsen as the temperature continues to rise and as precipitation becomes more
unpredictable.
Climate change is one
of the most significant contemporary threats to biodiversity worldwide and is
expected to have a profound effect on both individuals and populations in
animal communities (Walther et al. 2002, Thomas et al. 2004, Isaac &
Williams 2007). Indeed, the negative effects of climate change are already
apparent in a variety of taxa and ecosystems (Walther et al. 2002). In the
geological past, much extinction is thought to have been associated with
‘natural’ climatic changes that resulted in habitat loss and ecosystem change
(McKinney 1997). However, in the past 8000 yr, extinction rates have risen
exponentially and not a single case of extinction can be attributed to a
non-human induced cause (Caughley 1994). Many of the Earth’s ecosystems are
already stressed by other detrimental human impacts, such as land clearing and
habitat fragmentation, making small and isolated populations highly susceptible
to the type of stochastic events which climate change will bring, such as
wildfires and hurricanes.
In Zambia, any change in climate can spell
disaster. With a majority of Zambians depending on agriculture, even a slight
change in temperature can affect crops like maize with catastrophic
consequences for livelihoods and wildlife. In the village of Lusitu, in the
south of Zambia, the returns from farming have diminished due to severe
droughts. According to Eva Chipepo, a local villager, “rainfall
is insufficient to give us a good crop yield” and “wild animals (elephants)
have started to wander in the fields”, further destroying crops. Elephant is a species of enormous economic
value. If the elephant is properly managed to meet the CITES conditions, Zambia
can benefit economically from the species through consumptive utilization by
way of trophy hunting, sale of ivory and other elephant by-products. Resumption
of consumptive utilization would add to the current benefits accruing from
photographic safaris and the newly introduced elephant back ride safaris. Regarding the species’ role in the ecosystem,
elephant plays an important function in the ecology of the habitats.
Their feeding habits of breaking woody vegetation, opening up forest canopy and
thickets, modify the habitat. Pathways
are created which other animals and humans alike can use. Elephants also
facilitate seed dispersal. Seeds of species such as Faidhebia albida are known to germinate from elephant dung. Several
other woody plants benefit in the same way.
Elephants also dig for water in dry riverbeds making water available to
other species. Total elimination or loss of this keystone species would have a
significant impact on the ecology of its habitat and other species. Elephants
as a valuable renewable resource if managed properly would provide
opportunities for income generation. It is therefore, Government’s intention to
utilize this resource on a sustainable basis in non-consumptive ways as one of
the most important tourist attractions and when conditions permit to resume
consumptive utilization through trophy hunting within an ecological framework,
which seeks to set and balance between present habitat, species diversity and
elephant population.
THE
IMPACT OF CLIMATE CHANGE ON THE AFRICAN ELEPHANT’S POPULATION
Changes
in rainfall amount and pattern, as well as resulting flood or wildfire affects
African elephants. Drought directly affects the freshwater supply and plants
that African elephants eat. Normally these animals will move away from
drought-stricken areas as long as they have space and access. Droughts will
become more frequent and longer with climate change, making it even more
important for elephants to migrate freely and securely in search of water and
vegetation. For one major sequence in Planet Earth,” Fothergill (April 22,
2009) says. “And then the flood really never came to the extent that we had
predicted it.” This potential effect of climate change goes undetected in the
scene, as the weary, thirsty elephants eventually bask in an unimaginable
bounty of water. In this way, it’s a much more subtle ecological clarion call.
It is estimated that by the year 2020, there will be
400,000 elephants in southern Africa alone, a potentially calamitous situation
given the inability of the natural environment to support existing numbers. Of
particular concern is the combined effect of large elephant populations,
uncontrolled bush fires and climate change impacts on biodiversity in the
Zambezi Basin. The major effects of the increase in elephant population include
soil erosion, vegetation damage and the loss of biodiversity. The loss of tree
cover causes soil erosion, resulting in siltation of water points. With
concerns that climate change will cause unreliable rainfall in the basin this
will put more pressure on existing freshwater sources as competition for water
increases especially between the larger mammals (elephants) as well as between
communities and wildlife.
For instance in Southern Africa,
whether climate change brings too much rain (causing floods) or too little rain
(bringing more drought and wildfires), some areas may simply become unsuitable
for certain species to survive. For instance, by 2080, much of South Africa’s
famous Kruger National Park may be uninhabitable for the African
elephant.
CONCLUSION
Climate change is one of the most important and
complex challenges facing the Zambia today, much as in the rest of the world.
Projected changes in the earth's climate present more than just an
environmental concern but also serious social and economic implications. While
the riparian states of the Zambezi River Basin of Zambia bear little
responsibility for the build-up of carbon dioxide and other global warming
gases in the earth's atmosphere, they stand to bear the brunt of the
environmental, social and economic consequences of a warming climate.
Impacts
such as flooding, drought and desertification could lead to loss of
agricultural land, degradation of water sources and destruction of social and
economic infrastructure. Climate change and variability continue to pose a
threat to the delicate balance in food security through erratic rainfall
patterns and decreasing crop yields.
Reversing
deforestation, adopting more efficient and cleaner energy producing
technologies and expanding the use of bio-fuels in the transport sector would
bring about benefits, not only in terms of reducing climate change risks, but
also in terms of reducing other environmental problems. Such measures would
also address economic goals, including reduced dependence on imported petroleum
products and creating employment. Increased use of small-scale rainwater
harvesting technologies would help to improve crop productivity and lead to
improvements in water management and poverty reduction as well as reduced
vulnerability to climate change in all sectors of the government an most
especially to the wildlife industry. The success of past and current
sustainable development initiatives in the country as they rise to meet the
climate challenge as most, if not all, such interventions support attempts to
stem the unrelenting impact of climate change on the elephant’s population as a
whole.
Share
with us your experiences, comments and recommendations. Send emails to wildlifemgtsociety@gmail.com
No comments:
Post a Comment