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Global Warming

fast facts

    Temperatures in southern Africa have risen by over 0.5° C over the past hundred years, with the last decade being the warmest and driest ever.

    Between 15 and 20% of the large nature reserves in southern Africa would experience a change in biome (habitat type) under all three climate change scenarios.

    Climatic changes will alter natural vegetation, wildlife habitats, crop growing seasons, and the distribution of pests and diseases.

    Scientists agree that air pollution from human activities is partly responsible for global warming.

    Global warming will expose millions of people to new health risks.







WWF Climate Change
Campaign
Director Adam Markham
c/o World Wildlife Fund-US
1250 Twenty-fourth St., NW
Washington, DC 20037
Tel: (202) 861-8388
Fax: (202) 331-2391
E-mail: climate@wwf.org
Visit our website at :

http://www.panda.org

C O N S E R V A T I O N  A N D  C L I M A T E  C H A N G E


C limatic change presents a serious threat to African wildlife and ecosystems in the coming decades. All three scenarios in the WWF/CRU study show the grassland areas declining and being replaced either by thorn scrub savannah ("core" and "dry" scenarios) o r by seasonal and dry forest ("wet" scenario). Desert areas expand under the "core" scenario, extending northeastward into larger areas of Botswana. These scenarios tend to confirm the suspicions of conservationists that climate change may accelerate the shift from tall-tree open savannahs to scrubby bush-a problem that appears currently to be driven mainly by overgrazing. A reduction in this type of grassland extent could be damaging for animals such as the common reedbuck, sable antelope and serval, as well as birds such as the grass owl. Drought can also increase the potential for conflict between humans and wildlife over access to vital resources such as forage and water. Some savannah highlands of southern Africa may also be at risk. These highlands provide fragmented habitat and vital refuges for wildlife species such as grey rhebok, grysbok, mountain reedbuck, black wildebeest, bontebok and blesbok. Biologically important wetland areas in South Africa that may also be vulnerable to change include S t. Lucia, Knysna, the Berg River and the Saldanha/Langebaan area.

The potential for habitat changes of this magnitude is of grave concern to conservationists. According to WWF's computer modeling study, between 15 and 20% of the large nature reserves in southern Africa would experience a change in biome ( habitat type ) under all three climate change scenarios. Among those wildlife reserves shown to be affected are Kruger National Park, the Zambezi basin, and the Okavango delta. Lochinvar National Park and Kafue National Park both suffered wildlife losses during Zambia' s 1991/92 drought, with a waterbuck species known as the Kafue lechwe and also hippopotamuses being particularly hard hit because of the drying of wetlands. Elsewhere, grazing species, such as hartebeest, wildebeest and zebra came under severe drought str ess.

Famous for its abundant wildlife, the Okavango delta in northern Botswana, can provide an example of how the impacts of global warming may be felt. The "core" scenario described in the WWF study suggests that by the 2050s, rainfall in the area could decli ne by about 5% and become more variable from year to year. Temperatures would increase by about 1.5° C and evaporation could increase by as much as 15%, causing a general drying of the area. Runoff will potentially decrease by about 20%, threatening some wetland environments. Due to the combination of climate change and increased atmospheric concentrations of carbon dioxide, the natural vegetation biome of the delta could shift from tree and scrub savannah towards a dry forest type biome. Ticks will benefit but tsetse flies will find conditions less favorable. Disease-carrying mosquitoes will become more prevalent. Giraffe, warthogs, kudu and other arid lowlands mammal species may be more attracted to the area, while springbok, gemsbok, dikdik and ot her arid highlands species will find it less attractive.


Southern African Temperature. 1897 - 1995 Southern African Rainfall. 1901 - 1996


Southern Africa

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Copyright 1996, World Wide Fund For Nature