IT'S NOT just polar bears that are hard-hit by climate change, but a range of "well-known, well-loved" animals such as emperor penguins, leatherback turtles, koala bears and even the clownfish featured in the Walt Disney film Finding Nemo.
Wendy Foden, co-author of a new report published yesterday by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), said it should serve as a “wake-up call” to governments at the UN climate summit to make real cuts in carbon dioxide emissions.
“If we are to avoid a drastically changed natural world, we simply don’t have the time for drawn-out political wrangling,” the South African conservation biologist told a press briefing in Copenhagen.
“We need strong commitments and we need them now.”
Asked by a Daily Mail journalist why the IUCN had “only picked cuddly animals” for its report, ignoring less attractive insects, Ms Foden said those named were “flagship species on which we had solid information” and less was known about invertebrates.
Apart from polar bears, the report says species affected by the loss of Arctic sea ice include the ringed seal, which relies on the sea ice to provide “pup-rearing retreats”. It also mentions the “highly sociable” beluga whale, which was likely to be affected by the loss of its prey.
The emperor penguin, highly adapted to unforgiving Antarctic conditions, is also threatened by declining sea ice, which it needs for mating, chick-rearing and moulting, as well as the shrinking availability of small shrimp-like krill, which provide its staple diet.
The tundra, on which the Arctic fox depends, is disappearing as warming temperatures allow trees to flourish, Ms Foden said.
This would allow the red fox, which preys on the Arctic fox and competes with it for food, to move further north, reducing its territory.
In tropical areas, staghorn corals — of which some 160 species have been recorded – are “severely affected” by rising ocean temperatures, which causes coral bleaching. Ocean acidification, the result of too much CO2 in the sea, in turn weakens the corals’ skeletons.
Clownfish are also victims of acidification, which affects their sense of smell and ability to find their specific host anemone, which they rely on for protection.
Atlantic salmon, a hugely valuable catch, is also threatened by higher water temperatures.
Ms Foden said Australia’s iconic koala “faces malnutrition and ultimate starvation” because the nutritional quality of Eucalyptus leaves is declining, while leatherback turtles – which can weigh up to 500kg – is under threat as storms destroy its nesting habitats.
Plants are also affected, according to the report. The Quiver tree, found in desert regions of southern Africa, is being hit by drought stress.
Paddy Power is offering odds of 13/8 that the global Polar bear population will drop from 20,000-25,000 to 15,000-20,000 by December 31st, 2011.