Climate Change & Biodiversity Loss

[Richprins]

[Lisbeth]

White-browed sparrow weaver’s breeding strategy helps it to survive under harsh conditions


The white-browed sparrow weaver. (Photo: Andrew Young)

By Shaun Smillie | 12 Oct 2021

A little bird with a messy nest and many friends could have the edge over other species in a desert scorched by climate change
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The white-browed sparrow weaver is found in the Kalahari Desert where, over the past three decades, temperatures have been rising. But, with an unusual breeding strategy, they can successfully produce young when conditions are particularly harsh.

White-browed sparrow weavers are a cooperative breeding species. Dr Pablo Capilla-Lasheras, now at the Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine at the University of Glasgow, explained: “They live in families that occupy a small territory, centred around a couple of trees.

“In each family, you have a dominant male and female who are the breeders. Now their offspring, rather than disperse and breed, will stay and become helpers.”

These helpers forage for food for the chicks. Sometimes there are as many as 10 helpers. Eventually, in a few years, the helpers disperse and may start breeding themselves.

Capilla-Lasheras was part of a 12-year fieldwork study by scientists at the University of Exeter in the UK that researched these birds in the Tswalu Kalahari reserve in the Northern Cape. Recently, their findings were published in the journal Science Advances, in which they stated that they believe they have solved the mystery of why cooperation in birds is associated with unpredictable environments worldwide.

“The main message in the paper is that with the help of the helpers there is a guarantee that the dominant breeders always produce some offspring,” explained Capilla-Lasheras.

White-browed sparrow weavers are particularly successful when conditions are hot and dry. Other species are also known to practise this breeding strategy. The sociable weaver, another desert bird found in the Kalahari, is a cooperative breeder.

Several swallow species and the pygmy falcon also practise it. “Wild dogs and wolves do something similar,” said Capilla-Lasheras. Temperatures have been increasing in the Kalahari, and it is affecting bird species in the region.

Over the past 11 years, researchers involved in the Hot Birds Research Project –an international collaboration of scientists – have been studying the effect of heat on bird species in desert environments, including the Kalahari.

They found that heat waves are preventing some bird species from foraging properly. This is because they have to spend time trying to stay cool when they should be foraging instead.

Not being able to feed adequately has a knock-on effect, the scientists have found, as birds cannot build up reserves to survive the Kalahari winter.

And the reason for this is that there has been a dramatic increase in the number of days in the Kalahari when the temperature is above 35° Celsius.

The trend began in the mid-1990s.

In July, Dr Susan Cunningham, a senior lecturer at the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology and a member of the Hot Birds Research Project, told Daily Maverick that the number of days when the mercury rose above 35° Celsius used to sit at about 90 days a year. It has now increased to about 130 days.

Another concern is that extreme heat events could result in bird die-offs in the future, as was seen in northern KwaZulu-Natal in November last year.

Capilla-Lasheras said he had observed fluctuations in the numbers of white-browed sparrow weavers that appeared to be related to harsh summers. It shows that white-browed sparrow weavers are vulnerable to those rising temperatures, but teamwork gives them some advantage.

“Cooperatively breeding species – those that live in societies with helpers – may be better placed to cope with unpredictable environments, which we expect to become increasingly common under climate change,” explained Dr Andrew Young, of the Centre for Ecology and Conservation at Exeter’s Penryn Campus in Cornwall. DM168

[Lisbeth]

Hail the size of grapefruits

Damaged buildings and disbelief of the inhabitants of some cities of the east coast of Australia which have been overwhelmed by a hail ever seen in the history of the country. The "Guardian" reports it.

Beans of about 16 cm in diameter, as big as grapefruits, fell on the Queensland. In the city of Coffs Harbor, in New South Wales, about 400 people were evacuated by a shopping center after the roof collapsed under the weight of rain and hail. On Twitter has become viral the video posted by one of the customers showing a waterfall suddenly descending from the ceiling and flooding the store.


A spokesman for emergency services reported having responded to more than 280 requests for assistance today, in particular by owners of houses with attics and skylights. "We expect calls to increase in the next few hours, especially when people come home from work," he said.

[Richprins]

End of Days!

[Lisbeth]

=80895&tl_period_type=3&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=First%20Thing%20Thursday%2021%20October%202021&utm_content=First%20Thing%20Thursday%2021%20October%202021+CID_1a36fa7992c35c8a47f238a471a20763&utm_source=TouchBasePro&utm_term=Biodiversity%20loss%20and%20climate%20change%20are%20humanitys%20biggest%20issues%20COP15%20is%20a%20critical%20precursor%20to%]Biodiversity loss and climate change are humanity’s biggest issues: COP15 is a critical precursor to COP26

By Kate Handley | 20 Oct 2021

Kate Handley is an environmental attorney and co-founder of the Biodiversity Law Centre, a new non-profit organisation that seeks to use the law to reverse the catastrophic decline of biological diversity in southern Africa.

Biodiversity loss is reaching catastrophic levels globally, and along with climate change is one of the most pressing issues facing humanity. We cannot talk about climate change without talking about ecosystem restoration and preservation. That’s why this month’s COP15 of the Convention on Biological Diversity is a critical precursor to COP26 in Glasgow.
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Findings in a recent co-sponsored workshop report compiled by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) record that biodiversity loss and climate change are two of the most pressing issues facing humanity. While there is recognition in both scientific and policymaking circles that the two are interconnected, says the report, in practice they are largely addressed in their own domains.

Against this backdrop, it is perhaps surprising that amid the clamour in the build-up to COP26 (Conference of the Parties) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in Glasgow later in 2021, Part 1 of COP15 of the Convention on Biological Diversity, held from 15 to 18 October 2021, went by with comparatively little notice.

COP15 was postponed from October 2020 as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and has been scheduled to take place in two parts: Part 1 (a largely virtual gathering) and Part 2 which will take place in Kunming, China from 25 April to 8 May 2022.

Despite being overshadowed by its climate change counterpart, the outcomes of COP15 are no less critical, since it is at this COP that parties will negotiate and adopt a post-2020 global biodiversity framework as a stepping stone towards the 2050 Vision of “Living in harmony with nature”.

A decade ago, parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity came together to formulate a strategic plan for protecting and conserving natural systems for 2011 to 2020. The plan comprised 20 targets, the Aichi Targets, which aimed to address the causes of biodiversity loss and reduce pressures on ecosystems and their services, improving the status of biodiversity globally and enhancing its benefits for all.

Despite its noble ambitions, the plan has largely failed to curb the unprecedented loss of biodiversity globally, with only six of the 20 targets having been partially achieved. This is a significant indictment of our species’ treatment of nature, especially given how fundamentally dependent human beings are on biodiversity and ecosystem services for our health and wellbeing, economic growth and sustainable development.

Biodiversity loss is reaching catastrophic levels globally. An IPBES Global Assessment Report released in 2019 records that 75% of land surface globally is significantly altered and an average of about 25% of species in assessed animal and plant groups are threatened, suggesting that about one million species already face extinction, many within decades, unless action is taken to reduce the intensity of drivers of biodiversity loss.

From a domestic perspective, South Africa is one of only 17 megadiverse countries (countries that harbour the majority of Earth’s species and are rich in biodiversity and associated indigenous knowledge). Human activities are putting this exceptional species richness and endemism at extreme risk. The 2018 National Biodiversity Assessment concluded that of 1,021 ecosystem types assessed, almost half are categorised as threatened. From a species perspective, 14% of plants are threatened, as are 12% of all animals.

This month at COP15, nations pledged to bolster protection of their natural environments, paving the way for an ambitious and transformative global strategy beyond 2020 which aims to achieve what the Aichi Targets could not, and more. The Kunming Declaration, “Ecological Civilisation: Building a Shared Future for All Life on Earth”, adopted during Part 1 of COP15, reflects key commitments made by governments towards the full realisation of the 2050 Vision of “Living in Harmony with Nature”. Most notably, states committed to:

• Ensuring the development and adoption of an effective post-2020 global biodiversity framework, that includes provision of the necessary means of implementation (including technical and financial capacity building);

• Eliminating perverse incentives that are harmful to biodiversity, thereby channelling financial flows to support positive conservation efforts and people in vulnerable situations;

• Promoting the integration, or “mainstreaming” of biodiversity into cross-sectoral decision-making;

• Increasing protected areas and improving their management;

• Enhancing the global environmental legal framework;

• Ensuring recognition of the role of indigenous peoples and local communities in conservation and stepping up efforts to ensure the fair and equitable benefit-sharing from the use of genetic resources, including associated indigenous knowledge;

• Increasing the application of ecosystem-based approaches to address biodiversity loss, and (among other things) mitigate and adapt to climate change and boost resilience;

• Ensuring that post-pandemic recovery policies, programmes and plans are oriented towards biodiversity conservation; and

• Further enhancing collaboration and coordinating actions with ongoing multilateral environmental agreements, such as the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change.

One cannot talk about climate change without talking about ecosystem restoration and preservation. Well-functioning forests, wetlands, oceans and grasslands serve as significant carbon sinks, thereby mitigating climate change impacts, as well as augmenting climate adaptation and resilience. The functional separation of biodiversity and climate change stands to risk incompletely identifying, understanding and dealing with the connections between the two (IPCC-IPBES Report). The Kunming Declaration recognises this and the commitment to enhancing coordination of actions under the two treaties is thus not only welcome, but necessary.

Climate change and biodiversity are interconnected and solutions to climate change alone will not help reduce changes in climate if biodiversity loss is not considered. Limiting global warming to ensure a habitable climate and protecting biodiversity are mutually supporting goals, and their achievement is essential to protecting development gains, and moving towards a more healthy, sustainable and equitable world for all. This is aptly recorded in the IPCC-IPBES report which concludes:

“Only by considering climate and biodiversity as parts of the same complex problem, which also includes the actions and motivations and aspirations of people, can solutions be developed that avoid maladaptation and maximise the beneficial outcomes.”

COP26 in Glasgow is on the horizon and is widely seen as the last chance for countries to commit to robust emission-reduction targets that will limit global warming to 1.5°C. With all the (entirely justified) hype around COP26, attention has perhaps been unduly shifted from COP15 and the biodiversity gains it seeks to secure for the next decade. This should not be the case. Rather, the proximity (in time) of the two COPs should be leveraged to enhance synergies between biodiversity and climate change ambitions, moving us closer to a 2050 Vision of truly living in harmony with nature. DM

[Lisbeth]

Crisis, what crisis? Three major parties in election in denial over the climate crisis


Despite knowing that South Africa’s water demand will outstrip supply by 17% in under 10 years and despite the El Niño-induced droughts, the ANC has taken a casual and ignorant approach to water, while the DA has no understanding of water as a commons, and the EFF ignores the impact of the climate crisis on the country’s water system. (Photo: Alaister Russell / The Sunday Times)

By Vishwas Satgar, Awande Buthelezi, Charles Simane and Ferrial Adam | 19 Oct 2021

Worryingly, all our political parties seem oblivious to the impacts of the climate crisis as reflected by their shallow manifestos. The three manifestos (ANC, DA, EFF) critiqued below are symptomatic of the broader climate denialism in South African politics.

Click on the title to read the whole article.

[Lisbeth]

Good news about the Southern Ocean’s role in carbon drawdown during winter — but it may still not be enough to save us


Adelie penguins with the SA Agulhaus II in the background. Adelie penguins are common along the entire coastline of Antarctica and are one of only two penguin species (the other being the Emperor penguin) which live and breed exclusively on Antarctica. (Photo: Rosca de Waal)

By Elsabé Brits | 21 Oct 2021

The Southern Ocean’s role in driving the global carbon cycle may be stronger than expected as the biological carbon pump is not ‘switched off’ in winter as previously thought. These revelations are good news, but may not be enough to offset the massive impact of climate change and specifically carbon emissions.
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This has been revealed by South African scientists in the most comprehensive winter study to date, conducted in the Southern Ocean during July and August 2017, showing for the first time that phytoplankton are active during the icy cold and dark winter months, and not only during summer.

Scientists from the Centre for Trace and Experimental Biogeochemistry (TracEx) in the Department of Earth Sciences at Stellenbosch University (SU) were able to show that despite unfavourable growth conditions for phytoplankton during winter, biological activity is ongoing in the Southern Ocean, although not to the levels observed in summer.


The Southern Ocean’s role in driving the global carbon cycle may be stronger than expected as the biological carbon pump is not ‘switched off’ in winter as previously thought. (Photo: Jarred Voorneveld)

The Southern Ocean is one of the most important regions in the world for the uptake and storage of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO2), a process termed the biological carbon pump. It is facilitated by photosynthetic phytoplankton. Consequently, the role of the Southern Ocean in annual carbon drawdown may be stronger than previously thought. The research was published recently in two publications, here and here.

Why are phytoplankton important? Phytoplankton are microscopic, single-celled plant-like organisms suspended mostly in the top 100m of the oceans. Using sunlight for energy and dissolved inorganic nutrients, phytoplankton convert CO2 to organic carbon and form the base of the marine food web, according to a statement from Stellenbosch University.

Dr Ryan Cloete, from the Department of Earth Sciences at the university, explains that CO2 is a greenhouse gas, therefore its presence in our atmosphere contributes to the trapping of heat.


The SA Agulhas II’s annual trip to Antarctica is one of the few opportunities that researchers have to collect samples from the vast Southern Ocean. One of the instruments used is the CTD (conductivity, temperature, depth), an oceanographic instrument that measures physical parameters throughout the water column. The CTD also consists of 24 bottles mounted on a rosette. At specified depths, the bottles will open to collect seawater samples and are brought back to the surface for analysis. (Photo: Jukka Tuhkuri)

“Phytoplankton facilitate the transfer of atmospheric inorganic CO2 to organic carbon through the process of photosynthesis. This organic carbon is then transferred to the ocean floor when the phytoplankton die and sink. Eventually the carbon will be buried and incorporated into the rock record where it may remain for millions of years.

“In other words, phytoplankton are our biggest allies because they are crucial in transferring the CO2 from the atmosphere to the deep ocean and rock — this process is called the biological carbon pump.

“The global oceans absorb about 25% of the annually emitted CO2 from human activities. A disproportionately large part of this uptake is linked to the Southern Ocean, which accounts for about 50% of the annual oceanic CO2 uptake and where about 40% of the man-made CO2 since the beginning of industrialisation is stored.

“Therefore, the Southern Ocean plays a substantial role in mitigating the effects of human carbon emissions and understanding this carbon sink and its related processes is crucial for future climate projections.”

Showing that phytoplankton are somewhat active in the Southern Ocean during winter is a good thing because it means the biological carbon pump is not “switched off” in winter, which means phytoplankton are working to reduce our atmospheric CO2 levels year-round.

Professor Alakendra Roychoudhury, a specialist in environmental and marine biogeochemistry at Stellenbosch University and head of the TracEx research group, says the Southern Ocean acts as a central hub for global circulation, whereby waters formed near Antarctica are transported northwards into the Indian, Pacific and Atlantic oceans.

“Therefore, as a result of the biogeochemical processes taking place in the Southern Ocean, we see effects on a much larger scale.”

But there is a stark warning: this great ocean conveyor belt of water can take almost 1,000 years to complete the journey.


During the SA Agulhas’s 2019 winter cruise, students from Stellenbosch University and the University of Cape Town embarked on various research projects. Pictured here is UCT student Emmanuel Omatuka Ngongo taking a core from floating ice. (Photo: Herman Broock)

“We are seeing rapid changes to smaller-scale current systems. The global ocean conveyor represents global seawater flow, but when we zoom in we see that each of these large components is made of hundreds of smaller-scale currents.

“For example, the melting of Greenland’s ice sheet from increased greenhouse gases in our atmosphere is contributing freshwater to the Arctic Ocean, which results in changes in density and therefore affects the flow of the current. A similar scenario is anticipated for the melting of the Antarctic ice sheet. This will affect the entire marine food web, as nutrient pathways are disturbed and therefore [so is] the fishing industry, leading to food insecurity.

“In addition, there will be feedback mechanisms in our climate as ocean currents are also the main transfer of heat around Earth and changes to this will affect weather systems. Ultimately, climate change will influence these smaller-scale processes first which, over time, will influence the larger circulation patterns,” says Roychoudhury.

The issue with disturbing these polar environments is our lack of understanding of future impacts, he explains.

“Different processes have different feedback loops. For example, as more CO2 is dissolving in ocean waters, the pH of the ocean is decreasing, which has significant consequences for life in general. To counter the progressively acidifying ocean, carbonate minerals present in the ocean dissolve and negate the pH change. Because of these feedback processes, the planet will self-correct over time. However, most geological processes occur at long time scales compared with a human lifetime. The rate at which humans are inflicting climate change is much faster than natural buffering processes and thus, for the survival of humans, these feedback loops may not be sufficient.”

To date there has been little understanding of the Southern Ocean owing to the extreme conditions, freezing temperatures and gale-force winds between latitudes 40° and 60° south — the “Roaring Forties”, the “Furious Fifties” and the “Screaming Sixties”.

More than a little choppy

Cloete says he has been on several cruises on the SA Agulhas II, but weather during the winter 2017 winter cruise was particularly rough. “I recall a maximum swell of around 13m during one of the storms in the so-called Roaring Forties.


High waves and icy conditions as observed from the aft deck of the SA Agulhas II research vessel. (Photo: Ryan Cloete)

“During these conditions, everyone has to remain indoors for safety reasons. I remember during dinner, a sudden big wave resulted in everyone’s chair sliding across the dining hall. The tables are fixed in place with barriers to prevent plates and food from shifting, and we all ended up crammed to one side. Trying to walk around when the ship was rocking was always humorous although the crew made it look easy.

“Trying to sleep in a storm was also difficult and I woke up as I was falling out of my bed on more than one occasion. As we cruised further south, outside temperatures were always well below freezing. When the wind picked up the apparent temperature dropped to as low as -20°C at times. The inside of the ship, however, was always pleasant thanks to amazing insulation. We often worked while it was snowing and even had a braai while it was snowing during one of the ship’s social evenings.” DM/OBP

[Lisbeth]

Half-Earth, conservation, and hope: An interview with E.O. Wilson, Paula Ehrlich and Sir Tim Smit

by Liz Kimbrough on 20 October 2021

• E.O. Wilson is a scientist, naturalist, and author highly regarded for his theories of island biogeography and sociobiology, and for his writing that unites concepts in science and the humanities, winning him two Pulitzer Prizes in non-fiction, among other top recognitions.

• Wilson champions the goal of protecting half of the Earth, both land and sea, and makes the case that doing so would save more than 80% of all biodiversity. Biodiversity, he says, is “fundamental in continued human existence.”

• On Oct. 22, Wilson will give a plenary speech at the Half-Earth Day virtual event, which brings together thought leaders, decision-makers and influencers such as Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, Razan Al Mubarak, and Sir David Attenborough to discuss conservation in the areas of education, science, and technology.

• E.O. Wilson, Paula Ehrlich and Sir Tim Smit spoke with Mongabay staff writer Liz Kimbrough on Oct. 14, 2021 to discuss Half-Earth, hope and the need for a shift in consciousness.

“To summarize my view of where we are at the present time in the conservation movement…we are winning battles in a losing war,” famed biologist, naturalist, and writer Edward O. Wilson said in a phone interview with Mongabay.

E.O. Wilson is recognized as one of the leading scientists in the world for his theories of island biogeography and sociobiology. As an author, he unified concepts in science and the humanities, winning two Pulitzer Prizes in non-fiction. Now at age 93, he serves as a professor emeritus at Harvard University, chair of the advisory board at the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation board, and chairman of the Half-Earth Council.

Wilson champions the goal of Half-Earth— protecting half of the planet, both land and sea. In his 2016 book, Half-Earth: Our Planet’s Fight for Life, he makes the case that doing so would save more than 80% of all biodiversity.

Wilson says that Half-Earth is a “moonshot idea,” a big concept to inspire and galvanize support and attention, much like the goal of reaching the moon in the 1960s— but that it is much more urgent.

“In every, almost every complex issue, in health as well as of course the economy, this [saving biodiversity] is a vital subject, and does not bear easily any neglect,” Wilson said, “but is going to become increasingly heavy and harming in every issue central to human cooperation and civilization…we’ve come to recognize that the fauna and flora are fundamental in continued human existence.”

“This is urgent…because if we lose these species, we lose the ecosystems…the intricate web of life that sustains nature and sustains us as part of nature,” Paula Ehrlich, President and CEO of the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation, where she leads the Half-Earth Project, told Mongabay.


E.O. Wilson and Paula Ehrlich at a book signing. Image courtesy of E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Foundation.

The Half-Earth Project has a large-scale mission to discover, map and identify all the species on the planet in order to save global biodiversity. The project provides resources such as the Half-Earth Project Map which shows what areas could be protected to preserve the highest amount of biodiversity, as well as national report cards to summarize conservation on a national level.

“Through the science of the Half-Earth project, by mapping all the species of our planet at a high resolution, we know where we have the best opportunity to protect the most endangered species and endangered ecosystems,” Ehrlich said.

Friday, October 22, is Half-Earth Day, which honours the publication of Wilson’s book. The day will be marked with a virtual event featuring talks and discussions on conservation education, science, and technology by thought leaders, decision-makers, scientists, and influencers including E.O. Wilson himself, Sir David Attenborough, Hindou Oumarou Ibrahim, Razan Al Mubarak, and more.


The Javari River in the Amazon rainforest forms the border between Brazil and Peru. Photo by Rhett A. Butler

Critics of large-scale, area-based protections such as Half-Earth Project and 30×30 (the controversial goal of protecting 30% of the planet by 2030) say a large number of people, particularly those living in poorer countries, could be adversely affected by conservation efforts that displace people.

“We know barriers persist. That the same people who have been systemically excluded from the process of protecting biodiversity are disproportionately hurt by degraded air, lands and waters, perpetuating a cycle of harm and exclusion,” Ehrlich wrote in an email to Mongabay. “That is why it is so critical we get the science right, so that we leave no species behind, and that includes all of humanity.”

Sir Tim Smit, executive chairman and co-founder of the Eden Project and a moderator for Half-Earth Day, stressed the importance of stemming the loss of biodiversity.

“Imagine you’ve got the most terrific piece of music and the best orchestra in the world, and every 20 minutes of that performance, five of the performers are dragged out of it. Then listen to the music,” Smit told Mongabay. “That’s what’s happening to our planet.”


Sir Tim Smit by Eden Project.

E.O. Wilson, Paula Ehrlich, and Sir Tim Smit spoke with Mongabay staff writer Liz Kimbrough on Oct 14, 2021, to discuss Half-Earth, mapping life on Earth, hope, and as Ehrlich said, “the need for us to drive a moral conviction…to protect biodiversity as one of humanity’s transcendent goals.”

This interview has been edited for clarity and brevity.

AN INTERVIEW E.O. WILSON, PAULA EHRLICH AND SIR TIM SMIT can be read here.

[Lisbeth]

Sub-Saharan Africa needs as much as R725bn per year to adapt to climate change, says IMF

The facts: Climate change adaptation is expected to cost an estimated $30 billion to $50 billion (or between R435 billion and R725 billion) per year for sub-Saharan Africa, according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

The source: The IMF on Thursday released the economic outlook for the region. It is expected to grow by 3.7% in 2021 - the slowest recovery in the world - and by 3.8% in 2022.

Projections: IMF estimates suggest that $30 billion to $50 billion will be needed every year for climate change adaptation in the region, equivalent to 2 to 3% of regional GDP. Although large, inaction would be more costly.

[Richprins]

Hope the money does not disappear...