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UCT RESEARCH REPORT 2012
How are
Birds Affected?
The impact of climate change on bird populations in South
Africa is a key research field for UCT researchers. Birds are
particularly sensitive to changes in their habitat, with a rise
in temperature of only a few degrees contributing to the
extinction of some species.
A
lthough the conservation of rare species is to some degree reactive, studies of
the conservation issues related to global change, especially climate change, are
more proactive in nature. We know that the world’s climate is changing: we also
know that many species, birds included, are already responding to these changes.
The key challenge is predicting how these nascent biological changes will manifest
themselves in the future in terms of changing biological communities, and what the
larger ramifications of these changes might be.
We know that the world’s climate is changing: we also know that many
species, birds included, are already responding to these changes.
To date, much climate-change research has remained the domain of modellers, and there
has also been significant documentation of biological changes, especially for specific
species. However, what is lacking is a good understanding of the mechanisms that lead
to such changes. The FitzPatrick Institute is contributing to filling this niche and building
the bridge between modelling and empiricism.
We know that the world’s climate is changing: we also
know that many species, birds included, are
already responding to these changes.