RECOGNISE WILDLIFE AS HEARTBEAT OF GLOBAL CLIMATE, CONSERVATIONISTS URGE COP30 

By Vijian Paramasivam

PHNOM PENH, Nov 11 (Bernama) -- Wildlife populations, from the adorable snow leopards in Nepal to the magnificent Mekong Irrawaddy dolphins and vultures in India, are subtle contributors to preserving the ecological balance. 

But the effects of climate change are threatening their very existence.

Global animal conservationists are expressing urgency and appealing to governments to incorporate wildlife into their climate change adaptation plans, as they are important actors in maintaining the planet’s ecosystem.

The World Federation for Animals (WFA), International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA), and Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) say wildlife cannot be isolated from climate change action anymore. They need to be included. 

“Wildlife are not just passive victims of climate change – they are our allies in mitigating it. 

“Increasingly, science shows us that animals help the ecosystems they live within to fix, store, and sequester additional carbon, compared to when they are not present or have drastically lower numbers,” United States (US)-based WFA's Climate Policy Specialist Ed Goodall told Bernama. 

The warning comes as international climate leaders meet at the United Nations (UN) Climate Change Conference or COP30, in Belém, Brazil, this week, to debate protecting the Earth.

“Across South and Southeast Asia, governments increasingly reference climate impacts on wildlife, but the level of response is far from what the crisis demands due to varying factors. 

“Extreme heat, shifting rainfall patterns, and intensified droughts are already altering migration routes, food availability, and breeding success for species,” said Goodall. 

Tiger populations exert top-down pressure on ecosystems, keeping the number of large grazing herbivores in check, meaning more trees can grow. 

Forests where tigers are present remove 28 per cent more carbon and prevent emissions from the ecosystem by nine per cent. Snow leopards in Nepal play a vital role in maintaining the health and balance of mountain ecosystems, said Goodall.

But ground realities can be alarming. The glaciers are thinning in the Arctic, snows are melting in Kilimanjaro and the Himalayas, rising temperatures and changes in rainfall in the Mekong River are posing serious threats to wildlife. Their food system and habitat are ruined, warn experts. 

ZSI’s Additional Director Dr C. Raghunathan said while national plans such as community-based snow leopard conservation in Nepal are positive indicators, they largely remain fragmented and reactive. 

“At COP30, governments should elevate Nature-Positive Climate Action as a cross-cutting theme. Wildlife conservation must be recognised, not only as a biodiversity goal but as a climate solution.

“While there has been measurable progress such as national action plans, most climate policies in the region still treat wildlife conservation as a peripheral co-benefit rather than an integral part of climate adaptation,” Raghunathan told Bernama from Kolkata, India.

One priority, he said, is to establish transboundary corridors for flagship species like tigers, elephants, and snow leopards, which should be mapped and financed as natural carbon and adaptation infrastructure.

Wildlife population is facing multiple threats from man-made to natural disasters that are impacting their survival, and the numbers are alarming, say animal conservationists. 

The Living Planet Report 2022, jointly published by WWF and Zoological Society of London, for instance, revealed that between 1970 and 2018, the wildlife population decreased by 69 per cent. 

According to the Snow Leopard Trust, there are only about 3,920 to 6,390 snow leopards left in the wild. Nepal is home to about 400, but there are fears that climate change could destroy 40 per cent of the big cats' habitat.

“Regional governments are implementing robust policy, monitoring, and habitat-resilience programmes that reflect growing awareness of climate-wildlife linkages. 

“The next step will be scaling these efforts, ensuring long-term financing, and making sure that every vulnerable species and habitat has a climate-resilient strategy moving forward,” IBCA Director International Cooperation Dr Amit Mallick told this news agency from New Delhi. 

“At COP30, governments should place wildlife protection at the heart of climate action, recognising that apex predator species such as tigers and snow leopards embody the integrity of the ecosystems that absorb carbon, regulate water, and withstand climatic shocks,” said Amit. 

-- BERNAMA