聯合國報告顯示氣候變化或致孟加拉虎滅絕

Several animal species including gorillas in Rwanda and tigers in Bangladesh could risk extinction if the impact of climate change and extreme weather on their habitats is not addressed, a UN report showed on Sunday。

Launched on the sidelines of global climate negotiations in Durban, the report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation shows how higher temperatures, the rise in sea levels, deforestation and excessive land use have damaged the habitats of certain species, especially in Africa。

"Many ecosystems have already been stressed by increasing population, historical and recent deforestation, unsustainable management practices and even invasive species," Eduardo Rojas-Briales, assistant director general at the FAO's forestry department, said at the launch of the report。

The most affected areas include mountains, isolated islands and coastal areas, which limit the possibilities for animals to migrate elsewhere and create new habitats。

"The remaining populations become enclosed in very small ecosystems, they have inbreeding problems ... and at the end these species may disappear," he added。

Other examples of affected animals included elephants in Mali, lions in the Serengeti and crocodiles in Malawi。

The report said an estimated 20-30 percent of plant and animal species will be at higher risk of extinction due to global warming and a significant proportion of endemic species may become extinct by 2050 as a consequence。

Other consequences could include the spread of invasive species and infectious diseases, it said。

The report urges more focus on restoration of damaged ecosystems, especially those key to tackling climate change such as mangroves, inland waters, forests, savannahs and grasslands。

The FAO also called for the creation of migration corridors for animals in areas where their movement was constrained。

The organisation said while more resources were flowing to biodiversity conservation, more action at the government and policy level was needed。

It also urged local communities to develop projects that mitigate the impact of climate change on wildlife, naming eco-tourism activities as an example。聯合國上週日公佈的一份報告顯示，如果氣候變化和極端天氣對其棲息地的影響無法解決，包括盧旺達大猩猩和孟加拉虎在內的多種動物都將面臨滅絕。

聯合國糧農組織的這份報告指出了氣溫升高、海平面升高、森林砍伐和土地濫用已如何破壞了一些物種的生存環境，特別是在非洲。這份報告也呼應了正在德班召開的全球氣候變化磋商。

聯合國糧農組織林業部的助理執行長愛德華多•羅哈斯-布里阿萊斯在報告發布時說：“很多生態體系都已經因爲人口增長、以往和近期和森林砍伐、不可持續性的管理措施、甚至是入侵物種而不堪重負。”

受影響最嚴重的地區包括山區、孤島、和沿海地區，這些地區限制了動物從其它地區遷徙過來和創造新的棲息地的可能性。

他補充說：“剩餘羣體隔絕在很小的生態體系內，存在近親交配的問題，最後這些羣體可能滅絕。”

其它受影響動物的例子包括馬裏的大象、(坦桑尼亞西北部)塞倫蓋蒂平原的獅子，和馬拉維的鱷魚。

報告稱，由於全球變暖，估計將有20%到30%的動植物物種滅絕風險很高，還有比例較高的地方性物種可能在2050年前滅絕。

報告指出，其它影響包括，外來入侵物種的擴散和傳染病的傳播。

報告敦促人們更加關注受損生態系統的恢復，特別是對於應對氣候變化至關重要的物種，比如紅樹林、內陸水域、森林、非洲大草原和牧場草地。

聯合國糧農組織還呼籲在那些動物遷徙受限的地區設立遷徙走廊。

該組織表示，儘管有更多的資源流向生物多樣性保護，人們仍需在政府層面和政策層面採取更多措施。

該組織還敦促地方社區發展可以緩和氣候變化對野生動植物影響的項目，比如生態旅遊活動。