Wolverines depend on the cold snow-pack provided by mountain habitats to den and store food. Image Credit: Shutterstock
Tufts University’s Charles C. Chester, Wildlife Conservation Society’s Jodi A. Hilty and World Commission on Protected Areas/IUCN’s Lawrence S. Hamilton have together published a new paper on conservation, climate change and connectivity in mountain regions. This study has been published in the Journal of Mountain Ecology.
The paper analyses the factors that may be harmful to wildlife in mountain ecosystems. It also initiates an agenda for conservation of biodiversity in mountain regions.
Mountains are not easily accessible, and hence they provide a certain degree of protection to the wildlife in that region. However, mountain ecosystems are still fragile endangered by human-related perils such as acid deposition, erosion and logging, and climate change.
Wildlife such as wolverines require a cold snow-pack for storing food and to dwell. Global warming affects this resource and it may lead to decline of this species.
Charles Chester states that the importance of mountains has been well recognized by conservationists and scientists. This study examines the detrimental effect of climate change on mountain ecosystems. Impact of climate change must be given high importance by conservationists, the paper says.
Further, corridor ecology and connectivity need to be maintained. Connectivity would enable wildlife populations to go from one habitat to another. The researchers have debated the subject of corridors and presented criteria on which corridor effectiveness is based.
Specific research communities on mountain research, climate change and corridor ecology have to collaborate in order to achieve protection of mountain diversity, the authors conclude.