A new statement issued by the National Audubon Society reports that over the last 40 years 177 bird species have experienced range shifts northward during the winter, potentially as a result of climate change. On average, ranges have shifted by at least 35 miles, however at least 60 species are reported to have experienced range shifts of over 100 miles or more. The study is based on citizen science data collected during the organization’s annual Christmas Bird Count.
This report comes only weeks after another report issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that concluded that climate change will be largely irreversible for at least 1000 years after all carbon emissions are completely halted, based on current emission projections.
While many are promoting legislative action to reduce carbon emissions, the question remains whether legislation will be enough to truly make a difference. While there is no doubt that there is need to regulate the reduction of carbon emissions, achieving meaningful permanent regulation will be difficult.
Competing interests between environmentalists, agencies, energy producers, and other stakeholders will make it difficult to reach an agreement that is mutually beneficial environmentally and economically. Additionally, as we’ve seen with the weakening of many important environmental policies in the past several years, legislation is prone to short lifetimes as political administrations come and go.
Fortunately, there are possible solutions that may actually help. Preservation and creation of green spaces, like forests and grasslands, may help sequester atmospheric carbon and act as carbon sinks while also serving as habitat for birds and other wildlife.
Likewise, understanding how birds utilize different areas will be important for understanding how to prioritize efforts to protect and restore critical habitats that can also serve as carbon sinks.
A report that appeared in Science this week brings new hope to conservationists about the possibility of understanding bird movements during migration. Researchers with York University have used mini tracking devices have been able to track the movements of Purple Martins and Wood Thrushes throughout their migration. While the sample size was small, what they found was that stopover habitats for some species may be more critical than for others, especially for species experiencing dramatic population declines.
Conserving bird habitats and fighting climate change are not mutually exclusive activities, but it’s going to take more than just signing petitions and promoting legislation to make a substantial change. We will need to be more proactive in preserving and restoring habitats through efforts at many levels to protect the bird species that we love in the short term and to reduce the impacts of climate change in the long term.
This report comes only weeks after another report issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) that concluded that climate change will be largely irreversible for at least 1000 years after all carbon emissions are completely halted, based on current emission projections.
While many are promoting legislative action to reduce carbon emissions, the question remains whether legislation will be enough to truly make a difference. While there is no doubt that there is need to regulate the reduction of carbon emissions, achieving meaningful permanent regulation will be difficult.
Competing interests between environmentalists, agencies, energy producers, and other stakeholders will make it difficult to reach an agreement that is mutually beneficial environmentally and economically. Additionally, as we’ve seen with the weakening of many important environmental policies in the past several years, legislation is prone to short lifetimes as political administrations come and go.
Fortunately, there are possible solutions that may actually help. Preservation and creation of green spaces, like forests and grasslands, may help sequester atmospheric carbon and act as carbon sinks while also serving as habitat for birds and other wildlife.
Likewise, understanding how birds utilize different areas will be important for understanding how to prioritize efforts to protect and restore critical habitats that can also serve as carbon sinks.
A report that appeared in Science this week brings new hope to conservationists about the possibility of understanding bird movements during migration. Researchers with York University have used mini tracking devices have been able to track the movements of Purple Martins and Wood Thrushes throughout their migration. While the sample size was small, what they found was that stopover habitats for some species may be more critical than for others, especially for species experiencing dramatic population declines.
Conserving bird habitats and fighting climate change are not mutually exclusive activities, but it’s going to take more than just signing petitions and promoting legislation to make a substantial change. We will need to be more proactive in preserving and restoring habitats through efforts at many levels to protect the bird species that we love in the short term and to reduce the impacts of climate change in the long term.
