Effect of Climate Change on Tropical Dry Forests

Abstract

Around 1.6 billion people in the world are directly dependent on forests for food, fodder, fuel, shelter, and livelihood, out of which 60 million are entirely dependent on forests. Forests silently provide us with ecosystem services such as climate regulation, carbon sequestration, harbouring biodiversity, synchronizing nutrient cycling, and many more. Tropical Dry Forests (TDF's) occupy around 42% of total forest area of the tropics and subtropics and facilitate sustenance of world's marginalized populations. Change in vegetation composition and distribution, deflected succession, carbon sequestration potential, nutrient cycling and symbiotic associations would affect TDF at ecosystem level. At species level, climate change will impact photosynthesis, phenology, physiognomy, seed germination, and temperature-sensitive physiological processes. In order to mitigate the effects of climate change, specific mitigation and adaptation strategies are required for TDF that need to be designed with concerted efforts from scientists, policy makers and local stakeholders.

Ecological niche modelling to project past, current and future distributional shift of black ebony treeDiospyros melanoxylonRoxb. in India

“…Sinha (2022) studied the impact of climate change on tropical dry forests, which also included D. melanoxylon as it is amongst the key species in tropical dry deciduous forest (Kumar et al 2017). The study reported that the Western Ghats' dry deciduous forests would decline due to expected climate change (Sinha 2022).…”

“…Sinha (2022) studied the impact of climate change on tropical dry forests, which also included D. melanoxylon as it is amongst the key species in tropical dry deciduous forest (Kumar et al 2017). The study reported that the Western Ghats' dry deciduous forests would decline due to expected climate change (Sinha 2022). The dry deciduous forest of central India (Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra) is expected to become moister as temperatures and precipitation rise (Ravindranath and Sukumar 1998).…”

“…The dry deciduous forest of central India (Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra) is expected to become moister as temperatures and precipitation rise (Ravindranath and Sukumar 1998). The growth and behaviour of tropical dry deciduous forests are influenced by rising global mean temperature and irregular rainfall patterns, as they affect the essential physiological processes like photosynthesis, respiration and temperature‐sensitive processes (Sinha 2022). Tropical dry deciduous forests account for nearly 40% of Indian forest grids, and their distribution is expected to shift due to climate change (Chaturvedi et al 2011).…”

Using proxy data and vegetation modelling to predict past, current and future distributional shifts of Butea monosperma, a marker of land degradation in India

“…There would be a severe decline in the extremely suitable habitat for B. monosperma in Western Ghats regions; however, it will considerably be sustained in the Nilgiri hills in southern India. According to regional studies, the dry deciduous forests of the Western Ghats may decline as a result of projected climate change (Sinha, 2022). Again, the moderately suitable habitat of B. monosperma will decrease in central India.…”