WWF: Newly discovered rare species threatened

Some species will be able to adapt to climate change, many will not, potentially resulting in massive extinctions.

Rie Jerichow
26/09/2009

The good news: During 2008 alone, scientists identified 100 new plants, 28 fish, 18 reptiles, 14 amphibians, two mammals and a bird, all within the Greater Mekong region of Southeast Asia. It covers areas in Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam and the south-western Chinese province of Yunnan.

The bad news: No sooner are these new species discovered than their survival is threatened by the devastating impacts of climate change, a new report from conservation group WWF is estimating. ”

Forecasts for the Greater Mekong region show that climate change will dramatically alter ecosystems,” says Geoffrey Blate, WWF's regional climate change coordinator, according to Reuters.

The most recent International Panel on Climate Change report predicts that rising seas will cause major impacts, especially in the Mekong River delta. ”

Some species will be able to adapt to climate change, many will not, potentially resulting in massive extinctions...Rare, endangered and endemic species like those newly discovered are especially vulnerable because climate change will further shrink their already restricted habitats,” says Stuart Chapman, director of the WWF Greater Mekong Programme, according to panda.org.