According to a new study by Nature Climate Change, 607 primate species are being threatened by climate change. In particular, the extreme weather conditions such as cyclones and droughts are to blame.
On top of these new findings, 60% of primates were already vulnerable to habitat loss and human activity. The habitat loss mostly refers to logging, mining, and agriculture; while the most impactful human activity is poaching.
What Did the Study Conclude
The report concluded that primates located mostly in Madagascar, 16% of all primates, are susceptible to tropical cyclones. In Malaysia, Sumatra and West Africa, 22% of all primates are threatened by drought.
The study identified hotspots for where these events are most likely to occur. This will make it easier for conservative groups to aid the primates in those areas. Although, it is difficult to brace wildlife for extreme weather conditions.
On top of this, the increased global temperature is becoming too much for some primates. While they are great at adapting, every species has a breaking point…and primates are approaching theirs.
Extreme Weather is More Frequent and Intense from Climate Change
When most people think about climate change, they only consider the global warming aspect. But, it goes much further. The rising temperatures have a huge impact on everything.
In the case of extreme weather, they create more storms and are more intense, but why?
Since the air has become warmer from the increased temperature, it can hold more moisture. This raises the potential for more frequent and intense extreme weather patterns.
Biodiversity Is At Risk
Human activity has put over 1 million species at risk of extinction, and there is no sign of that number shrinking. In fact, that number will only grow unless we make changes to our society.
Primates are the next victims in an ever-growing list of climate change casualties. Humanity needs to work on minimizing the impact on the environment.
One of the best ways to do this is to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and prevent the global temperature from increasing. However, there is still a lot of work to do in that regard. Luckily, nations like the UK are leading the way.
