A new climate change report has made some dire forecasts for the survival of threatened species and the future of farming in central and southern New South Wales.The Hot, Dry and Deadly report by the state's peak environmental organisation, the Nature Conservation Council, is based on peer-reviewed scientific data on the impact of global warming.
It predicts that by 2090 the Southern Tablelands will face temperature increases of nearly four degrees, combined with an almost 50 per cent reduction in annual rainfall. -- ABC Report
We have so much to lose
Climate change will have profoundly
negative impacts on nature in NSW if we do not urgently reduce
greenhouse gas emissions. NSW has a stunning variety of species and
ecosystems, with outstanding rainforests, eucalypt forests and
woodlands, grasslands, wetlands, coastal heaths, alpine habitats and
arid shrub lands. These ecosystems are home to more than 900 animal
species, almost 4,700 plants species, and countless insect and fungi
species. Since European settlement, native ecosystems and species in NSW
have declined significantly. Almost 40% of native vegetation has been
cleared, and what’s left is highly degraded. Only 9% is in good
condition.
More than 100 species have become extinct
since 1788, and over 1000, including 60% of all mammal species, are now
threatened with extinction. Key threats are land clearing, habitat
fragmentation, invasive species, and changed fire regimes. Human-induced
climate change has now been added as a potent part of the mix.
INTRODUCTION | FORESTS | EUCALYPT WOODLANDS | GRASSLANDS | ALPINE | RIVERS & WETLANDS | COASTAL REGIONS | MARINE | SYDNEY BUSHLAND | AGRICULTURAL LANDS | WHAT'S DRIVING CLIMATE CHANGE | CONCLUSIONS | FULL REPORT
