The Impact of Climate Change on Biodiversity in Nepal: Current Knowledge, Lacunae, and Opportunities

Climate

Sundar Tiwari¹  Pramod K. Jha²  Bharat Babu Shrestha²  Mohan Siwakoti²  José D. Anadón³  Aishwarya Bhattacharjee³  Praseed Thapa⁴  Naba R. Devkota⁴  Ajay Jha⁵  Durga Devkota⁶  Nir Y. Krakauer⁷  Tarendra Lakhankar⁷  Tenzing Doleck⁷  David J. Lohman⁷ 

[1] Bio-Protection Research Centre (BPRC), Lincoln University, Canterbury 7647, New Zealand;Central Department of Botany, Tribhuvan University, Kathmandu 44618, Nepal;Department of Biology, Queens College, City University of New York, Flushing, NY 11367, USA;Directorate of Research and Extension, Agriculture and Forestry University, Chitwan 44200, Nepal;Institute for Global Agriculture and Technology Transfer (IGATT), Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA;Rural Sociology and Development Studies Program, Faculty of Agriculture, Agriculture and Forestry University, Chitwan 44200, Nepal;The Graduate Center, City University of New York, New York, NY 10016, USA;

关键词: biodiversity;    ecological impacts;    global change;    Himalayas;    review;   

DOI  :  10.3390/cli5040080

来源: DOAJ

【 摘 要 】

Nepal has an extreme altitudinal range from 60–8850 m with heterogeneous topography and distinct climatic zones. The country is considered a biodiversity hotspot, with nearly a quarter of the land area located in protected areas. Nepal and the surrounding Himalayan region are particularly vulnerable to climate change because of their abrupt ecological and climatic transitions. Tens of millions of people rely on the region’s ecosystem services, and observed and modeled warming trends predict increased climate extremes in the Himalayas. To study the ecological impacts of climate change in Nepal and inform adaptation planning, we review the literature on past, present, and predicted future climatic changes and their impacts on ecological diversity in Nepal. We found few studies focusing on organisms, while research on species and communities was more common. Most studies document or predict species range shifts and changes in community composition. Results of these few investigations highlight major lacunae in research regarding the effects of changing climate on species comprising the Himalayan biota. Further empirical work is needed at all levels of biological organization to build on information regarding direct ecological impacts of climatic changes in the region. Countries face an ever-increasing threat of climate change, and Nepal has strong physiographic, elevational, and climatic gradients that could provide a useful model for studying the effects of climate change on a mountainous, and highly biodiverse, area.

【 授权许可】

Unknown