• Indian forest loss 'worse than feared' d

    From ScienceDaily@1:317/3 to All on Thu Mar 24 22:30:44 2022
    Indian forest loss 'worse than feared' due to climate change
    Forest loss from temperature and rainfall alterations adding to
    deforestation issue

    Date:
    March 24, 2022
    Source:
    University of Reading
    Summary:
    A national-scale study of the relationship between forest loss and
    rainfall and temperature trends in India reveals climate change
    may have contributed to huge declines during last two decades,
    countering official reports that suggest small losses, and adding
    to existing concerns over deforestation.



    FULL STORY ========================================================================== Forest loss in India could become an even bigger problem than anticipated
    in the coming years, with new research revealing climate change has
    caused significant recent losses.


    ==========================================================================
    The first ever national-scale study of the relationship between forest
    loss and rainfall and temperature trends in India, led by the University
    of Reading, revealed they may have contributed to large declines since
    the turn of the century, exacerbating already worrying deforestation
    largely driven by agricultural expansion in the country.

    The new research is in contrast to official reports that show relatively
    small decreases in forest coverage in recent years. It warns the rapid
    changes to the climate observed in some regions will necessitate targeted preservation action and funding to reduce the risk to biodiversity
    in India.

    Alice Haughan, a PhD researcher at the University of Reading and lead
    author of the study, said: "India has seen dramatic forest loss in recent decades, with land use changes to accommodate crops, livestock and a
    growing population cited as causes. While the contribution of land use
    change to forest loss has been studied extensively, little attention
    has been given to the role of climate change in recent decreases.

    "The rapid changes to the climate we identified suggests India's
    forest loss in the coming decades could be far worse than feared,
    as deforestation is only one part of the problem. The high levels of
    reduction seen are also concerning for biodiversity, as India relies on connected forests for wildlife preservation." The new study, published
    in Global Change Biology, looked at forest loss between 2001 and 2018 --
    a period where little data exists.



    ==========================================================================
    The authors calculated the velocity of changes to India's climate for
    the first time, a relatively new technique used to quantify climate
    change and reveal the rate at which it is impacting a country.

    It also analysed variability in climate change impacts across different
    regions and seasons, revealing that the impact of climate change on
    forest loss varied greatly between different locations and seasons.

    Far greater forest losses were seen where and when the climate was
    changing most rapidly. Decreases in rainfall were seen to have the
    strongest effect on increasing forest loss, with temperature decreases
    in some regions also having a negative impact.

    Haughan said: "Our study of Indian tropical and subtropical regions
    shows that rainfall rather than temperature comes into play as the
    biggest factor in forest loss, in contrast to trends found in many
    temperate studies." The authors argue that, because research has until
    now largely focused on annual changes to India's climate, this has masked
    more dramatic changes to temperature and rainfall within seasons, such
    as the monsoon seasons.

    India is in the top 10 countries in the world for forest coverage,
    with tropical and subtropical forests covering more than a fifth of
    the country.

    India is also one of the most biodiverse countries, containing 8% of
    the world's biodiversity and four recognised biodiversity hotspots. An estimated 47,000 plant species and 89,000 animal species can be found
    in the country, with more than 10% of each thought to be on the list of threatened species.

    Around 5,500 plant species are thought to be endemic to India.


    ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Reading. Note: Content
    may be edited for style and length.


    ========================================================================== Journal Reference:
    1. Alice E. Haughan, Nathalie Pettorelli, Simon G. Potts, Deepa
    Senapathi.

    Determining the role of climate change in India's past forest loss.

    Global Change Biology, 2022; DOI: 10.1111/gcb.16161 ==========================================================================

    Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220324104524.htm

    --- up 3 weeks, 3 days, 10 hours, 51 minutes
    * Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)