Biodiversity Brief, Issue 01, January 2013

7/28/2019 Biodiversity Brief, Issue 01, January 2013

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WORLD PRIORITIES IN

2011

DOLLARS TOSAVE ALLTHREATENED

SPECIES $81 billion 3

DOLLARSEXPECTEDTO BE PAIDAS BANKERS

BONUSES $156 billion 2

Page 2 / BIOdIverSITy BrIef / Issue 01 / January 2012

W lcom to th Biodiversity Brief, a qua t lpublication that ocus s on k issu s inbio i sit sci nc an th i solutions. This

ition ocus s on bio i sit a aptation toclimat chang .

The BiodiversityBrie tries to balancethe identi cation oenvironmental problemswith positive messagesabout what can be done.

A great way to depict therelative investments made

into di erent priorities ispresented in the in ographic byIn ormation Is Beauti ul, theBillion Dollar-o-Gram , whichindicates spending prioritiesduring 2010 by the size orectangles. Under theseestimates, the cost o savingthe Amazon ($21 billion), issomewhere between spendingin the US on yoga ($18 billion)and gi t cards ($29 billion).

Calling citizen scientistsThe Transects or Environmental Monitoring and DecisionMaking (TREND) team has developed a new citizen scienceapp or iPhones and Android devices, which allows usersto submit sightings o environmentally sensitive plants andanimals, particularly along the Heysen trail.

This in ormation will help researchers understand howcommunities are responding to changing conditions, andhelp in orm their management. The app a lso uses newlydeveloped image processing technology to convert user-captured images to 3D landscape models.

Want to get involved? Visit trend.or g.au

Download the app:

One o the main reasons orestablishing this publicationis that, as research scientists,we are keenly aware that goodevidence-based solutionsexist to a range o ecosystemproblems. However, therollout o these solutions iso ten hindered by a negativemessage around biodiversityor a broader eeling odisempowerment. Biodiversity

should be something wecelebrate, value and conserve

or all the bene ts it provides.

A key issue with biodiversityis the notion o value. Arecent study has estimatedthat the total cost to saveall threatened species isclose to $5 bill ion. However,i we really want to properlyconserve all terrestrialbiodiversity, this would costcloser to $75 billion per year.This gure seems very high,until you compare it with whatelse we spend our money on.

So why is there so littleapparent concern and action?According to Patrick OKee e ,the reasons are many,including perceived risks ochange, ideological worldviewsthat tend to precludeenvironmental attitudes andbehaviours, and uncertaintyabout possible solutions.

The psychology oconservation is clearly akey issue, but increasingawareness and keepingmessages solution-basedappear to be critical eatureso success ul biodiversitycampaigns.

The Biodiversity Brief isbrought to you by AndrewLowe and his team. Andrewis Pro essor o PlantConservation Biology andDirector o the AustralianCentre or Evolutionary

Biology and Biodiversity, parto the Environment Instituteat the University o Adelaide.He is also Head o Science

or the South AustralianDepartment o Environment,Water and Natural Resources,and Associate ScienceDirector o the TerrestrialEcosystem Research Network.The articles here describea range o work includingsome undertaken by theseorganisations, howeverthe views expressed in thispublication do not necessarilyrefect the views o thoseorganisations. Thanks to the

ollowing or contributions to

this edition: Alison Jobling,Ste an Caddy-Retalic andMatt Christmas.

2. www.digitaljournal.com/article/3164483. www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2012/oct/11/cost-save-threatened-species

The Brief in brief
http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/the-billion-dollar-gramhttp://www.trendsa.org.au/http://www.trendsa.org.au/http://www.sciencemag.org/content/early/2012/10/10/science.1229803.abstracthttp://www.sciencemag.org/content/early/2012/10/10/science.1229803.abstracthttp://offcorporatecoast.com/2012/11/19/climate-change-awareness-and-action-bridging-the-gap/http://offcorporatecoast.com/2012/11/19/climate-change-awareness-and-action-bridging-the-gap/http://www.sciencemag.org/content/early/2012/10/10/science.1229803.abstracthttp://www.sciencemag.org/content/early/2012/10/10/science.1229803.abstracthttp://www.trendsa.org.au/http://www.informationisbeautiful.net/visualizations/the-billion-dollar-gram


3/8Issue 01 / January 2013 / BIOdIverSITy BrIef / Page 3

Climat chang is an issu that w usualltalk about as i its in th utu , but with ana ag t mp atu inc as o 0.8C oth past c ntu , climat chang is al aha ing an impact.

and tools required to manageour conservation estate in achanging climate.

TREND is helping toequip researchers,managers and decisionmakers to manage ourconservation estate in a

changing climate.Vegetation plots locatedin conservation parks rstestablished in 1986 wererecently re-surveyed. Thesedata 4 indicate that over the last25 years species compositionhas changed signi cantly.These changes includedsome species increasing inabundance (18 species, mostlyannual herbs), and somedeclining in abundance (sevenspecies o perennial herbsand a shrub). While thesedata suggest an ecosystemlevel response to globalwarming, uture monitoring othe TREND plots will help toresolve uncertainties over theimpact o climatic shi ts onregional vegetation.

Combining in ormation romspecies distribution modelling 5 and genetic analysis 6 hashelped identi y biodiversityhotspots and re ugia areasthat remain stable (in termso species composition)during climatic changes (bothpast and uture) acrossthe Flinders ranges. Newanalysis, in conjunction withBioPlat orms Australia andthe Beijing Genome Institute ,

is examining changes in soilbiota using metagenomicsand plant gene expressionand adaptative shi ts usingtranscriptomics.

Ecosystem sensitivityanalyses 7 have also identi edthat the higher altitude,cooler-adapted ecosystems othe Mount Lo ty and FlindersRanges, and the warm-

Plots o the terrestrial ecosystem TREND transect established along the MtLo ty and Flinders Ranges (purple circles). The region has a very strong climaticgradient (temperature indicated as colours, rain all indicated as isobars) allowingspace as a proxy or time analysis o ecosystem turnover due to climate change.The transect also traverses the most popular walking trail in South Australia,the Heysen trail. See the nearby story, Calling citizen scientists .

4. Guerin GR, Lowe AJ (2012) Systematic monitoring o heathy woodlands in a Mediterranean climate a practical assessment o methods. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment. Published online.http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s10661-012-2842-3 5. Guerin GR, Lowe AJ (2013) Distribution modelling omultiple plant species occurring along the Adelaide Geosyncline, South Australia, highlights re ugiaand vulnerable landscapes. Austra l Ecology. In Press 6. McCallum KP, Guerin GR, Breed MF, LoweAJ (2013) Combining population genetics, species distribution modelling and eld assessments tounderstand a species vulnerability to climate change. Austral Ecology. In Press. 7. Guerin GR, Bi n E,Lowe AJ (2013) Species and phylogenetic turnover analysis o vegetation communities identi y criticalclimate tipping points and sensitive and resilient regions and taxonomic groupings. Ecography. In Press.

Cate Blanchett with TREND Director, Andy Lowe in October 2011.

adapted ecosystems o themid and northern parts oSouth Australia are likely to berelatively resilient to up to a2C temperature increase.

By contrast, the most sensitiveecosystems are likely to bethose on the lower slopeso the States ranges, whichare poorly represented inthe conservation estate andunder continual pressure rom

clearance or agriculture andhousing and weed invasions.

For more in ormation andupdates on TREND, visitwww.trendsa.org.au

The Transects orEnvironmental DecisionMaking (TREND) programwas initiated speci cally tomonitor the impacts o climatechange on ecosystems andto recommend adaptationstrategies to protectvulnerable species. TRENDincludes monitoring activitiesin natural wildernessareas, conservation parks,

agricultural regions andpopulation centres, romMount Lo ty to the FlindersRanges and across toEyre Peninsula.

Based at the University oAdelaide, the project partnerswith leading researchers andpolicy makers rom the SouthAustralian Research andDevelopment Institute andDepartment o Environment,Water and Natural Resources,and the TerrestrialEcosystems ResearchNetwork (TERN).

In ormation and data romTREND is helping to equipSouth Australian researchers,managers and decisionmakers with the in ormation

Following the TREND
http://www.bioplatforms.com.au/http://www.genomics.cn/en/indexhttp://www.trendsa.org.au/http://www.trendsa.org.au/http://www.trendsa.org.au/http://www.trendsa.org.au/http://www.genomics.cn/en/indexhttp://www.bioplatforms.com.au/


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SouthernScrub-robin

Adapt, migrate or die!

GLOBALWARMINGFORCES SPECIESMIGRATION

URBANISATIONREDUCESPOPULATIONSIZE

PREDATORSREDUCEPOPULATIONSIZE

AGRICULTUREREDUCESPOPULATIONSIZE

Modern threatsto biodiversity

MIGRATIONSPECIES ESCAPE UNFAVOURABLE

ENVIRONMENTS VIA WILDLIFE CORRIDORSTO NEW HABITAT OPPORTUNITIES

How a speciescan survive

2-4C

0

Surface warming

Robin population

2-4C

10,000

Surface warming

Robin population

Action Species survives. Habitats reduceddue to climate change with biodiversitycorridors leading to alternatives.

No action Habitats reduced due to climatechange with no routes to alternative habitat.Leads to local extinction.

0.8C

20,000

Surface warming

Robin population

2000Habitats werediminishing due toclimate change andpressures o humanpopulation density.

Y E A R

This in ographic has been developed by Andrew Lowe as a part o Biodiversity Brie . Please cite as: Biodiversity Brie , Issue 1, Adapt migrate or die!Climate change and biodiversity. In ographic by Ecocreative www.ecocreative.com.au

Y E A R

Climate change and biodiversity

1900 Y E A RHabitats were intactwithout the infuenceso climate change.

0C50,000

Surface warming

Robin population

Southern Scrub-robin

A Biodiversity Brief Infographic

ADAPTATIONSPECIES ADAPT

TO THE NEWENVIRONMENT



MigrationThe migration o speciesacross the landscape inresponse to climate changehas been predicted andobserved now or a largenumber o species 15 .

As seen in this issuesBiodiversity Brief Infographic ,Australias ground-dwellingSouthern Scrub-robinis predicted to migratesouthwards into landscapescleared or agriculture 16 .

Recent studies 13 ound thatleaves o the Narrow-leavedHop Bush have narrowed by40% over the last 40 years.This is the rst time thata change in an adaptive

eature in plants has beenlinked to climate change,and is potentially good newsdemonstrating real-timeadaptation .

I species are unableto migrate or adapt to

conditions a ected byclimate change then theinevitable outcome isextinction.

Flowering time is anothercharacteristic that appears tobe sensitive to climate change.For example, the DonkeyOrchid is now fowering 16days earlier than it did acentury ago 14.

Without a orward-lookingapproach to uture habitatneeds, this bird is likely to bestuck between a rock and ahard place!

ExtinctionI adaptation and migrationoptions are not available, thenpopulations, species or evencommunities can die o .

The impact o climate changeon the Great Barrier Ree hasbeen recently highlighted 17.But some o the largest die-backs witnessed in recentyears have been in trees,particularly large specimens 18 ,

due to pests and diseasessweeping through orestpopulations.

Notable examples includeinsect attacks o eucalypts inAustralia, coni ers in Canadaand the ungal in ection oash trees in Europe. Althoughsometimes di cult to directlyattribute to climate change,some o these tree die-backevents are due to a changein the range or reproductivebehaviour o pests anddiseases that are caused by awarming climate.

The establishment obiodiversity corridors willundoubtedly help speciesnegotiate un avorablelandscapes by opening upmigration pathways. Theincreased habitat areasavailable through corridorestablishment also promote

adaptation (read more onpage 6 ).

8. Petit RJ, Brewer S, Bordacs S, Burg K, Cheddadi R, Coart E, Cottrell J, Csaikl U, Fineschi S,Goicoechea P, Jensen JS, Knig A, Lowe AJ, Madsen SF, Matyas G, Oledska I, Popescu F, Slade D,Van Dam B, de Beaulieu J-L, Kremer A (2002) Identi cation o re ugia and post-glacial colonisationroutes o European white oaks based on chloroplast DNA and ossil pollen evidence. Forest Ecologyand Management (Special Issue) 156: 49-74. 9. Byrne M (2008) Evidence or multiple re ugia at di erenttime scales during Pleistocene climatic oscillations in southern Australia in erred rom phylogeography.Quaternary Science Reviews 27:2576-2585. 10. Rosenzweig C, Karoly D, Vicarelli M, Neo otis P, Wu Q,Casassa G, Menzel A, Root TL, Estrella N, Seguin B (2008) Attributing physical and biological impacts toanthropogenic climate change. Nature 453: 353-357. 11. Ho mann AA, Sgro CM (2011) Climate changeand evolutionary adaptation. Nature 470: 479-485. 12. Gardner JL,Heinsohn R. Joseph L (2009) Shi tinglatitudinal clines in avian body size correlate with global warming in Australian passerines. Proceedingso the Royal Society Biological Sciences 276: 38453852. (doi:10.1098/rspb.2009.1011). Umina PA,Weeks AR. Kearney MR, McKechnie SW, Ho mann AA (2005) A rapid shi t in a classic clinal patternin Drosophila refecting climate change. Science 308: 691693. (doi:10.1 126/science.110 9523). 13.Guerin GR, Lowe AJ (2013) Lea morphology shi t: new data and analysis support climate link. BiologyLetters. Published online 31st October, doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2012.0860. Guerin GR, Wen HX, Lowe AJ(2012) Lea morphology shi t in response to climate change. Biology Letters. Published online 4th July,doi: 10.1098/rsbl.201 2.0458 14. MacGillivray F, Hudson I, Lowe AJ (2009) Herbari um collections andphotographic images: Alternative data sources or phonological research. In: Phenological Research:Methods or environmental and climate change analysis (Eds. Keatley MR, Hudson I). Chapter 19. pp425-461. Springer. 15. Breed GA, Crone EE, Stichter S (2012) Climate-dri ven changes in northeasternUS butterfy communities. Nature Climate Change. August 19. www.nature.com/scitable/blog/green-science/butterfies 16. Scoble J (2012) No place to go and nowhere to be? Characterising demographyo the southern scrubrobin (Drymodes brunneopygia) using molecular and modelling tools orconservation. PhD Thesis, University o Adelaide. 17. Deatha G, Fabriciusa KE, Sweatmana H, PuotinenbM. 2012. The 27year decline o coral cover on the Great Barrier Ree and its causes. Proceedings o theNational Academy o Sciences USA. Online doi/10.1073/pnas.1208909109. www.scienceinpublic.com.au/marine/mediarelease 18. Lindenmayer DB, Laurance WF, Franklin JF (2012) Global Decline in Large OldTrees. Science 338: 1305-1306.

Donkey Orchids are fowering 16 days earlier than they did 100 years ago.

A changing climatis nothing n w, ansp ci s ha copwith p io s o apiclimatic chang

w ll in th past, buthow a th copingnow an into th

utu ?

Over the last two millionyears, ossil and molecularinvestigations have shownthat species have eithermigrated 8, or adapted 9 duringice age oscillations andassociated climate shi ts.However, the current period

o anthropogenically- orcedclimate change is bringingabout a change in globalenvironmental conditions

aster than at any period inhistory. Such a wide-scalechange in conditions is alreadyhaving a massive infuenceon species distributions,leading to range-shi ts andextinctions 10 . Add to this theproblem o widespread habitat

ragmentation brought aboutby human activities such as

arming and urbanisation,which is reducing the abilityo species to migrate acrossthe landscape 11 and you havea cocktail o threats. I speciesare unable to migrate or adaptto these changed conditionsthen the inevitable outcome isextinction.

AdaptationGenetic adaptation (hardwired inherited variation)

and phenotypic variationallow species to adapt tonew conditions. Adaptive andphenological (developmentaltiming) changes have beenrecorded 12 or a range oplants and animals, and asthe pace o climate changeincreases we are likely to seebroader changes in the uture.

The shape o leaves is a veryimportant characteristicthat helps plants cope withdi erent climates. Thinnerleaves help plants cope withheat stress and water loss.

Adapt, migrate or die
http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/green-science/butterflies%20http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/green-science/butterflies%20http://theconversation.edu.au/climate-change-linked-to-narrowing-leaves-8076http://www.cru.uea.ac.uk/cru/info/iccuk/http://www.cru.uea.ac.uk/cru/info/iccuk/http://theconversation.edu.au/climate-change-linked-to-narrowing-leaves-8076http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/green-science/butterflies%20http://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/green-science/butterflies%20


6/8Page 6 / BIOdIverSITy BrIef / Issue 01 / January 2012

Un utu climat sc na ios, Aust alia canxp ct w tt w t s asons, i s asons

in th no th, l ss wint ain in th south,an inc as m an t mp atu s ac oss thcontin nt, with inc as a iabilit b inging mo

qu nt, mo xt m sto ms an oughts .

overview to the science oclimate change.

Species responsesBe ore taking action, it isnecessary to be able to predicthow a given species mightrespond to climate change.Some o these responsesinvolve species distributionsor physiology, while othersinvolve changes to the timing

o biological events such asbreeding or fowering.

Species distributionmodellingThe uture distribution ospecies under various climatechange scenarios can bepredicted using in ormationsuch as current distribution,barriers to dispersal (e.g.oceans), and down-scaledclimate projections.

Habitat refugiaRe ugia are landscape regionsthat are naturally bu ered

rom extreme climate change

and variation, such asprotected valleys or orestswith an extensive shadecanopy. Managing these areasis a conservation priority.

CorridorsHabitat ragmentation is amajor threat to terrestrialbiodiversity, and biodiversitycorridors can be onemechanism to increase habitatareas by linking up remnantvegetation patches. Suchcorridors are also particularlyuse ul when they span climateregions, which allow speciesto track avorable climaticzones as the climate changes .

Eight short documentscovering di erentstrategies or dealingwith climate changehave been developed.

Assisted migrationAnother strategy or helpingthreatened species totrack a changing climate isassisted migration, whereby

individual plants or animalsare removed rom a locationthat has become unsuitable,and relocated to a moresuitable site.

Genetic translocationThis strategy involvesintroducing individuals romother populations into apopulation that is under threatin order to promote resiliencein threatened populations orrestoration programs 19.

Fire and climate changeThe requency and severity o

res is expected to increase asthe climate changes, althoughthe interaction o the actors

a ecting the re regimesmakes prediction complex.While Australian speciesare adapted to recurrent

re, di erent species arevulnerable to changes ineither the requency or theseverity o res.

19. Sgr CM, Lowe AJ, Ho mann AA (2011) Building evolutionary resilience or conserving biodiversityunder climate change. Evolutionary Applications 4: 326337. doi: 10.1111/j.1752-4571.2010.00157.x BreedMF, Stead M, Ottewell K, Gardner MG, Lowe AJ. Which provenance and where?: seed sourcing strategies

or revegetation in a changing environment. Conservation Genetics. doi: 10.1007/s10592-012-0425-z

P h o

t o :

G a r y

W i n d u s t

The Australian body taskedwith research into climatechange and adaptationstrategies (i.e. how we copewith these expected impacts)across a range o domains(Emergency Management,Health, Marine Biodiversity,Primary Industries,Settlements & In rastructureSocial & Economic, TerrestrialBiodiversity, and Water &

Freshwater Biodiversity) isNCCARF (National ClimateChange Adaptation ResearchFacility).

Within the TerrestrialBiodiversity Network , eightshort documents coveringdi erent strategies or dealingwith climate change havebeen developed.

The science of climate changeThe Australian Academy oScience has produced a simpleand in ormative question-and-answer style presentation,which provides a general

For morein ormationvisit nccarf.edu.auand download thedocuments.

Coping with climate change
http://www.nccarf.edu.au/http://nccarf.jcu.edu.au/terrestrialbiodiversity/images/information/nccarf_tb_information%20sheet_species_responses.pdfhttp://www.nccarf.jcu.edu.au/terrestrialbiodiversity/documents/modelling_infosheet_final.pdfhttp://www.nccarf.jcu.edu.au/terrestrialbiodiversity/documents/modelling_infosheet_final.pdfhttp://www.nccarf.jcu.edu.au/terrestrialbiodiversity/documents/information_sheet_4_refugia.pdfhttp://www.nccarf.jcu.edu.au/terrestrialbiodiversity/documents/Corridor_FINAL.pdfhttp://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/wildlife-corridors/index.html%20http://nccarf.jcu.edu.au/terrestrialbiodiversity/download/information_sheet_2_assisted_migration.pdfhttp://www.nccarf.jcu.edu.au/terrestrialbiodiversity/documents/final_genetic_translocation.pdfhttp://www.nccarf.jcu.edu.au/terrestrialbiodiversity/documents/information_sheet_6_fire_final.pdfhttp://www.nccarf.edu.au/http://nccarf.jcu.edu.au/terrestrialbiodiversity/http://nccarf.jcu.edu.au/terrestrialbiodiversity/http://nccarf.jcu.edu.au/terrestrialbiodiversity/index.php/236-the-science-of-climate-change-questions-and-answers.htmlhttp://www.nccarf.edu.au/http://www.nccarf.edu.au/http://nccarf.jcu.edu.au/terrestrialbiodiversity/index.php/236-the-science-of-climate-change-questions-and-answers.htmlhttp://nccarf.jcu.edu.au/terrestrialbiodiversity/http://nccarf.jcu.edu.au/terrestrialbiodiversity/http://www.nccarf.edu.au/http://www.nccarf.jcu.edu.au/terrestrialbiodiversity/documents/information_sheet_6_fire_final.pdfhttp://www.nccarf.jcu.edu.au/terrestrialbiodiversity/documents/final_genetic_translocation.pdfhttp://nccarf.jcu.edu.au/terrestrialbiodiversity/download/information_sheet_2_assisted_migration.pdfhttp://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/wildlife-corridors/index.html%20http://www.nccarf.jcu.edu.au/terrestrialbiodiversity/documents/Corridor_FINAL.pdfhttp://www.nccarf.jcu.edu.au/terrestrialbiodiversity/documents/information_sheet_4_refugia.pdfhttp://www.nccarf.jcu.edu.au/terrestrialbiodiversity/documents/modelling_infosheet_final.pdfhttp://www.nccarf.jcu.edu.au/terrestrialbiodiversity/documents/modelling_infosheet_final.pdfhttp://nccarf.jcu.edu.au/terrestrialbiodiversity/images/information/nccarf_tb_information%20sheet_species_responses.pdfhttp://www.nccarf.edu.au/



Un p og ams lik th T st ial ecos st mr s a ch N two k (TerN) an TreNd (s pag 3),bas lin monito ing is ass ssing th impacts oclimat chang on cos st ms.

Particularly cutting-edgeis the Australian EcologicalKnowledge and ObservationSystem ( KOS), whichbrings together previouslydi cult-to-access ecologicalplot-based data in a globallyleading semantic data systemthat allows data collectedusing di erent methodologiesto be combined, visualised

and analysed. A new initiativeis also working to generatea single portal (see adjacent

gure) that will allow access todi erent data types in a singlesystem. Data types include;genomics ( rom TREND),ecological communities(KOS), soils (CSIRO),biodiversity ( Atlas or LivingAustralia ) and remote sensed(AusCover , part o TERN).

Prediction of speciesdistributionsModels that link habitatsuitability with demographicprocesses o er tremendouspotential to improve our abilityto predict the distribution ospecies under uture climatechange scenarios.

Current techniques that onlyemploy habitat suitabilitymodelling may present anincomplete picture o the

way species distributions arelikely to change due to anoverestimation o dispersalability and underestimation opersistence. New work thatcombines these two modellingparadigms has been recentlypublished 20 and will improveour ability to manage thechanging nature o species.

20. Fordham DA, Akakaya HR, Arajo MB, Elith J, Keith DA, Pearson R, Auld TD, Mellin C, MorganJW, Regan TJ, Tozer M, Watts MJ, White M, Wintle BA, Yates C, Brook BW (2012) Plant extinction riskunder climate change: are orecast range shi ts alone a good indicator o species vulnerability to globalwarming? Global Change Biology 18: 13571371.

These programs aim to collateexisting and collect newdata that will assist policy-makers and land managersto incorporate the actualand predicted impacts oenvironmental change intotheir planning. Importantly orthe uptake and impacts o theresearch, this is an ongoingdialogue between scientistsand policy-makers at allstages within the research

li e cycle.

This initiative gives projectsponsors con dence thatresearch is timely, clearlyconnected to policies, andwill support robust evidence-based decision making.TERN and TREND work isbeing conducted with policy-makers and NRM plannersto help translate researchin ormation into strategies,practical action and on-groundactivity to support large-scalebiodiversity corridor initiatives(e.g. Atherton to Alps,NatureLinks, Gondwana link,Ecolink and Habitat 141 ).

A range o Australianecosystem data(remote-sensed, fuxtower and plot-baseddata) can be accessedin one place or the

rst time.

Accessing ecosystem datahas been problematic andad hoc in the past, an issuethat TERN was establishedto help resolve. Through itsspeci cally designed portalsand in ormation collationthrough a central entrymetadata portal , a range oAustralian ecosystem data(remote-sensed, fux towerand plot-based data) can beaccessed in one place or the

rst time.

Science, policy, action!
http://www.aekos.org.au/http://www.ala.org.au/http://www.ala.org.au/http://www.auscover.org.au/http://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/wildlife-corridors/index.htmlhttp://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/wildlife-corridors/index.htmlhttp://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/wildlife-corridors/index.htmlhttp://tern.org.au/TERN-Data-Discovery-Portal-pg17727.htmlhttp://tern.org.au/TERN-Data-Discovery-Portal-pg17727.htmlhttp://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/wildlife-corridors/index.htmlhttp://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/wildlife-corridors/index.htmlhttp://www.environment.gov.au/biodiversity/wildlife-corridors/index.htmlhttp://www.auscover.org.au/http://www.ala.org.au/http://www.ala.org.au/http://www.aekos.org.au/


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r c nt s a ch haspostulat that thMa an ci ilisation

collaps p ima il uto its inabilit to alwith a ast-changingclimat .

to supply a high populationdensity during periods o arapidly changing climate,mostly associated withchanging rain all patterns anddrought. These include AngkorWat, stronghold o the Khmer;the Nazca in Peru; the Anasaziin the American south-west;the Sumerians in southernIraq; the Harappan civilisationin the Indus valley; and theoldest known civilisation, theAkkadians o Mesopotamia.

Parts o our current globalcivilisation are also extremely

vulnerable to the impactso anthropogenically-orced climate change. The

Worldwatch Institute Stateof the World 2007: Our UrbanFuture report suggests that

If youve enjoyed these articles checkout the Biodiversity Revolution blog!bio i sit olution.com.au

Stage 1: It doesnt exist

Stage 2: Okay maybe it doesexist, but its just part of thenatural cycle of the earth.

Stage 3: Okay, humans maybe causing climate change,but the impacts are too minorand distant to be concerned.Itll just be a few dead frogs.

Stage 4: Ah were all goingto die and there is nothing wecan do about it.

Stage 5: Ok so we have aproblem, now maybe we canget on and make some moneyout of it.

The cost o climate changeimpacts (e.g. extreme weatherevents) are signi cant andbecoming more so. Maybethis is actually an opportunityto develop new industriesaround climate mitigation andadaptation. This was the topico an interesting discussion

ollowing a presentation givenby Chris Rapley , Pro essor oClimate Science at UniversityCollege London, and BarryBrook, Pro essor and Directoro Climate Change ResearchUniversity o Adelaide ( checkout his blog ) during a public

orum on Beyond the CarbonTax: Science, risk and reality

hosted by the Committee orEconomic Development oAustralia , Adelaide,November 2012.

Photo: NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center/Reto Stckli

Biodiversity Brief has been produced by t he University of Adelaide,The Environment Institute and the Australian Centre forEvolutionary Biology and Biodiversity.This printed edi tion eatures carbon-neutral paper and creativeconsulting. Printed under an ISO14001-certi ed EMS on 100%recycled paper made rom post-consumer waste.Design, illustration and editing by Ecocreative .

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b y

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i l i e C o r r

i c k

. A l l r i g

h t s r e s e r v e

d .

The fivestages

of climatechange denial

at least 21 o the 33 citiespredicted to have 8 millioninhabitants by 2015 arecoastal, and likely to be highlyvulnerable to rising sea levels.

In addition, climate changebrings other threats, such asdeserti cation o croplands,soil loss due to de orestation,and increasing salinisation ogroundwater, which are likelyto put other major civilisationcentres under pressure.

Whilst some adaptation ispossible, mitigation o climate

change impacts througha reduction in greenhousegas emissions is the onlye ective long-term strategy.

I ou woul lik to c i u thn wsl tt s l ct onicall please [email protected]

The Mayan population rapidlyexpanded and spread duringa period o anomalouslyhigh rain all, but thesociety balkanised during asubsequent drier period, andcollapsed entirely ollowing anextended drought.

A number o other civilisationsaround the world are thoughtto have collapsed due to aninadequacy o in rastructureand agricultural systems

The end of civilisation?
http://www.worldwatch.org/taxonomy/term/467http://www.worldwatch.org/taxonomy/term/467http://www.worldwatch.org/taxonomy/term/467http://www.worldwatch.org/taxonomy/term/467http://www.worldwatch.org/taxonomy/term/467http://www.worldwatch.org/taxonomy/term/467http://biodiversityrevolution.com.au/http://www.ucl.ac.uk/es/people/staff/academic/rapleyhttp://bravenewclimate.com/http://bravenewclimate.com/http://www.ceda.com.au/http://www.ceda.com.au/http://www.ceda.com.au/http://ecocreative.com.au/http://ecocreative.com.au/mailto:alison.jobling%40adelaide.edu.au?subject=Subscription%20to%20Biodiversity%20Briefmailto:alison.jobling%40adelaide.edu.au?subject=Subscription%20to%20Biodiversity%20Briefhttp://ecocreative.com.au/http://www.ceda.com.au/http://www.ceda.com.au/http://www.ceda.com.au/http://bravenewclimate.com/http://bravenewclimate.com/http://www.ucl.ac.uk/es/people/staff/academic/rapleyhttp://biodiversityrevolution.com.au/http://www.worldwatch.org/taxonomy/term/467http://www.worldwatch.org/taxonomy/term/467http://www.worldwatch.org/taxonomy/term/467http://www.worldwatch.org/taxonomy/term/467

Biodiversity Brief, Issue 01, January 2013

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Transcript of Biodiversity Brief, Issue 01, January 2013