The Tropics Are Set For A Catastrophic And Irreversible Collapse In Biodiversity
By Robin Andrews
30 Jul 2018, 17:41
The tropics – which include a plethora of habitats between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn – are the perma-balmy home to more than 75 percent of all known species, including 90 percent of terrestrial birds, pretty much all shallow-water corals, and three-quarters of all amphibians. They act as a barometer for the state of biodiversity on the planet, which is why a new Nature review makes for such a profoundly disheartening read.
The international endeavor – led by Lancaster University – aimed to quantify the global importance of biodiversity in the tropics, while assessing their vulnerability to current antagonizing factors. These include climate change, pollution, deforestation, weak governance, overfishing, unsustainable product demands, poaching, and an increasingly large and affluent population.
http://www.iflscience.com/plants-and-animals/tropics-set-catastrophic-irreversible-collapse-biodiversity/
