Ecobreves – BRAZIL: More Research Needed on Climate Change Impacts on Biodiversity

By IPS Correspondents Reprint | | Print |

RIO DE JANEIRO, Dec 26 2012 (IPS) - Only six percent of research on climate change and biodiversity conducted worldwide since 1990 addresses the impacts of these changes on biodiversity in Brazil, according to a literature review carried out by the Boticário Group Foundation. Over the course of one year, a total of 948 articles published around the world on climate change and biodiversity were identified. Of this total, 59 addressed the subject of climate change impacts on biodiversity in Brazil, 19 referred to “projected changes in the future”, and 11 to “recorded changes and monitoring”.

The most commonly addressed issues are geographic distribution of species, biological diversity and ecosystem services. Terrestrial environments were the subject of 87 percent of the studies, and none of them analyzed the impact of climate change on microorganisms and fungi.

“The number of studies needs to increase. The lack of knowledge hinders the effectiveness of strategies for climate change adaptation,” Malu Nunes, the executive director of the foundation, told Tierramérica.