Global warming "winners" represent a hollow victory

WASHINGTON – A few species will gain an advantage as shrub lands replace arctic ecosystems due to global warming, according to the latest chapter of Defenders of Wildlife’s global warming series “Navigating the Arctic Meltdown.” Unfortunately, these few opportunistic “winners” will be lonely at the top as the overall richness of the arctic tundra melts away and the unique community of plants and wildlife continues to decline.

“It will be a hollow victory for these so-called ‘winners’ as the arctic ecosystem, with its uniquely adapted species, loses its diversity piece by piece, species by species,” said Chris Haney, chief scientist for Defenders of Wildlife.

Tundra-dependent species such as caribou, muskoxen, American golden-plover and Baird’s sandpiper will likely face sharp declines if current global warming trends do not change. Some may even be driven to regional extinction.

Among the few species that stand to gain as tundra is replaced by shrub lands is the orange-crowned warbler, a small songbird whose habitat and food may be more plentiful in the future due to the changes that global warming has already brought to the arctic. This insect-eating bird currently lives and nests in the boreal forests and shrubs south of the tundra. But as global warming pushes the trees and shrubs northward into what used to be open tundra, the warbler will be able to move with them.

Experts also believe that the orange-crowned warbler will be able to find food more easily in this changing arctic landscape. A growing body of scientific evidence indicates that insects may be in far greater supply over a wide range of the arctic in the near future. This means that the warbler will likely have access to more of the beetles, caterpillars and bugs that form the mainstay of its diet.

Other species that rely on the open tundra, however, will be pushed out of the region as the forest and shrubs advance in the warming climate. Species that rely on the tundra’s unique mix of low, open cover and shallow wetlands will find these areas in shorter supply. This could lead to less food, fewer breeding areas and more fierce competition with other species for ever scarcer resources.

“This tiny songbird illustrates the need to monitor populations of arctic species, both those that are increasing as well as those that are decreasing, as a further indicator of changes in the climate, habitat and health of the arctic and its wildlife,” said Haney. “In this case, the orange-crowned warbler’s gain would signal a profound loss of other species that rely entirely on the tundra.”  

In their series on global warming and the arctic, Defenders stresses the need to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as a key to reducing the effects of global warming over the long term, both in the arctic and worldwide. In the meantime, measures can be taken to eliminate other pressures on species harmed by global warming and to better understand what steps we can take to preserve arctic animals and plants.

In this latest chapter, Defenders suggests state and federal officials conduct wildlife inventories and establish a comprehensive monitoring system. Research on the most vulnerable species will help these animals and plants adapt to a rapidly changing climate.

One major way that we can help tundra-dwelling wildlife now is to limit other disturbances to the tundra ecosystem. Activities such as oil drilling and mineral exploration destroy and degrade tundra and disturb wildlife during the breeding season. Such activities should be limited and closely monitored to ensure the tundra is adequately protected. Other stresses like air pollution should also be reduced.

“While it may take 100 years or more to begin to reverse some of the harmful changes we’ve already caused to the Earth’s climate, it is our responsibility to step up our efforts to protect wildlife that is being affected by global warming today so our children and grandchildren will be able to enjoy wildlife tomorrow,” said Rodger Schlickeisen, president of Defenders of Wildlife.

The first eight chapters of “Navigating the Arctic Meltdown” and subsequent installments as they become available can be found at www.defenders.org/globalwarming.

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Defenders of Wildlife is dedicated to the protection of all native animals and plants in their natural communities.  With more than 900,000 members and activists, Defenders of Wildlife is a leading advocate for innovative solutions to safeguard our wildlife heritage for generations to come.  For more information, visit www.defenders.org.