GALAPAGOS, Ecuador (Reuters) - Climate change could endanger the unique wildlife of the Galapagos Islands, and scientists are trying to figure out how to protect vulnerable species such as blue-footed boobies and Galapagos Penguins.
Some 175 years after the wildlife of the Galapagos helped inspire Charles Darwin to develop his theory of evolution, scientists are measuring the impact of global warming on the rich but fragile biodiversity of the islands.
The volcanic archipelago, about 600 miles west of the Ecuadorean coast, is home to scores of endemic species that closely depend on one another for survival.
Scientists say abrupt and frequent changes in sea temperatures and the death of coral reefs near the islands show that global warming is taking its toll on local sea life.
"The coral reefs create a habitat; they are like a forest, like the Amazon. They are home to scores of species. ... If the corals die we lose thousands of species that are associated to the coral," said German marine biologist Judith Denkinger.
The Galapagos-based scientist said the harm that pollution and climate change are causing marine life could trigger a domino effect and hurt on-shore species as well.
"Everything is intertwined. You can't say this is land, this is sea, they are both one," Denkinger said, sitting on a rock by the sea and surrounded by growling sea lions.
According to the United Nations, global warming is to blame for the melting of ice caps, rising sea levels and wacky weather worldwide, including storms, droughts and floods.
The United Nations says that between 20 percent and 30 percent of plant and animal species worldwide are likely to face an increased risk of extinction due to warming caused by greenhouse gas emissions.
Islands are particularly vulnerable to climate change, experts say.
Gabriel Lopez, executive director of the Galapagos-based Charles Darwin Foundation, said the islands have a very fragile ecosystem. Lopez expressed concern that global warming "will have very strong impacts on sea lions -- due to the lack of food available to them -- on penguins, and on marine iguanas."
Friday, October 2, 2009
First Darwin, Now Global Warming Reaches Galapagos
via news.google.com
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