Climate Change in Oceania – A synthesis of biodiversity impacts and adaptations.

Abstract

Climate change is already affecting many of the world's ecosystems with far-reaching impacts. In this special issue, contributors focus on the current and projected impacts of climate change across different geographical regions of Oceania (Australia, Pacific Islands and New Zealand). In this synthesis, we examine how climate change is affecting the three main realms: terrestrial, freshwater (broadly including estuarine and inland saline systems) and marine. Within this context, we also examine general strategies for climate adaptation including reducing other threats (e.g., habitat loss and degradation), expanding protected areas, increasing connectivity, restoring habitat and translocations. We show that many of these general strategies will not overcome all the threats caused by climate change and specific solutions are likely to be necessary. Beyond the implementation of these strategies, there are significant future challenges which will hamper effective adaptation that need to be overcome by the scientific community. Our current understanding of the impacts of climate change on biodiversity remains poor; this is particularly true for poor nations in the region. There is also considerable uncertainty in forecasts of climate change, particularly at the local scale, and this uncertainty impacts pro-active planning. This makes effective implementation particularly challenging. Considerable focus is needed into ecosystem-based adaptation where local communities are integrally involved, allied with more active and accountable management of conservation, through adaptive management processes. The world is experiencing far reaching and long-term changes to ecosystems with major impacts on human communities, particularly in relation to ecosystem services. Our ability to develop effective adaptation strategies from the broad scale policy (e.g., emissions control) to local scale management (e.g., building resilience in ecosystems) will be significantly tested but the world is in an important period and scientists and practitioners need to keep trying different approaches and reporting their successes and failures to the wider community.

Critical issues and new challenges for research and management of invasive plants in the Pacific Islands

“…In Oceania, natural disturbances, such as cyclones or typhoons, floods, landslides and droughts are expected to increase in frequency and intensity with global climate change (Kingsford and Watson 2011). It will result in drastic changes in forest canopy structure (treefall gaps and canopy openings) and more plant invasions in forest understorey (Loope and Giambelluca 1998), especially by lightdemanding fast-growing pioneer species with good dispersal abilities or early successional species (Dukes and Mooney 1999), such as the African tulip tree Spathodea campanulata, Tecoma stans or Lantana camara, which are rapidly colonizing landslides and treefall gaps in many Pacific islands, including Tahiti (J.-Y.…”

Extinction in Eden: identifying the role of climate change in the decline of the koala in south-eastern NSW

“…Analyses of climate trends over the past five decades have shown that Australian mean temperatures have increased by~0.7 C and will continue to rise by 0.6-1.5 C by 2030 (CSIRO and Bureau of Meteorology 2010). Climate change is predicted to have an impact on wildlife on many fronts, and Kingsford and Watson (2011) made the distinction between acute impacts that are discrete, such as storms, droughts, fires and extreme rainfall events, and continuous, chronic impacts occurring over decades, such as gradual increases in mean temperatures and decreases in seasonal rainfall. Distinguishing the impacts of climate change from previously acknowledged land-use threats to wildlife is a challenge, but it is essential to achieve effective conservation planning (Felton et al 2009).…”

Characterization of Microsatellite Primers in the Endangered Orchid Phaius australis and Cross‐Amplification to P. bernaysii (Orchidaceae)

“…In this study, we developed 15 microsatellite markers in P. australis, 10 of which were polymorphic. The optimization of 10 polymorphic microsatellite markers for P. australis will be useful for revealing levels of genetic diversity, range expansion, and the evolutionary relationships that may inform future assisted migrations or population enhancements (Gustafsson, 2000; Vallee et al, 2004; Kingsford and Watson, 2011). The successful cross‐amplification to P. bernaysii indicates a similarity between the congeners, which is not surprising given the species was suggested to be a color morph of P. australis (Nicholls, 1950; Jones, 2006).…”