Many of the European mammals whose habitat is being destroyed by climate change are not able to find new places to live elsewhere.
Many of the European mammals whose habitat is being destroyed by climate change are not able to find new places to live elsewhere.
30 of the 62 mammal species in the University of Exeter study will have their habitat substantially affected by climate change, but don’t have the traits that could allow them to colonise a new habitat somewhere else in Europe.
These included at-risk species such as the wolverine (classified as “vulnerable” in Europe), and others not classified as under threat, such as the Eurasian elk, the Iberian wild goat and the Pyrenean chamois.
Most current assessments do not take account of climate change and species’ ability to react, and the researchers say this means many species may be at greater risk than their official status shows.
“Some species that will need to move long distances due to climate change are simply not going to be able to,” said senior author Dr Regan Early, of the Centre for Ecology and Conservation on Exeter’s Penryn Campus in Cornwall.
Read more at University of Exeter
Photo Credit: Schwoaze via Pixabay
