Butterflies of the World - Lifecycle, Ecology, Taxonomy, Conservation, Photography, Butterfly Holidays, Photo Galleries, Book Reviews and more.........
Text and photographs protected by Copyright © Adrian Hoskins 2007, and must not be published in part or in whole elsewhere without prior written permission from the author.
Global warming and Climate change
 
Few would now argue with the scientific evidence that global warming is taking place. The average temperature of the planet is increasing, partially the result of "natural" fluctuations, but greatly exacerbated by the destruction of the rainforests, and the release of "greenhouse gases".

The fact that global temperatures are rising however does not necessarily mean that local temperatures will also increase. Some areas will become hotter, some will become cooler, some will become wetter, some will become drier. Ocean currents such as the Gulf Stream, and air currents such as the Jet Stream will almost certainly change course and speed, and even a tiny change of direction could for example mean the difference between Britain's climate becoming as cold as Alaska or as warm as North Africa.

Current evidence shows that the trend is for average temperatures in Britain to increase, and for the climate to become more volatile - the stability of our climate is being lost, and we are likely to experience more floods and droughts, less predictable temperatures, and more severe storms.

Winners and losers in temperate zones

The distribution and range of many Holarctic species is changing as a result of climate warming. The Orange tip Anthocharis cardamines, Speckled Wood Pararge aegeria and Peacock Inachis io are among several species that are currently extending their ranges northwards as average temperatures in northern England and Scotland have increased.

Other species, such as the Adonis Blue Lysandra bellargus, and Silver-spotted Skipper Hesperia comma which in Britain have historically been restricted to only the warmest habitats in southern England are showing evidence of expansion. The Glanville Fritillary Melitaea cinxia, which is currently restricted in Britain to a narrow strip of undercliff on the south coast of the Isle of Wight, is also likely to be able to extend it's range and colonise the mainland within the next few years.

The news for many species however is far from positive :

While climate warming will sure enough allow several species to extend their ranges northwards it will also cause them to abandon their habitats at the southern limits of their current range, where the climate will become too hot. The trend therefore, at least in the short term, will be for species in Europe, North America and temperate Asia to adopt a more northerly range.

In the case of British species such as the Mountain Ringlet Erebia epiphron, Northern Brown Argus Aricia artaxerxes, Large Heath Coenonympha tullia, and Scotch Argus Erebia aethiops, all of which prefer cooler and damper climates, their existing habitats are likely to become too warm for them.

They will initially respond by moving to higher altitudes where temperatures are lower, but as they are forced to move higher the amount of available habitat will decrease, populations will shrink and destabilise, and extinctions will be inevitable. These species are already showing signs of contraction, and will probably be lost from Britain within 30 years if current climate trends continue.

Mass extinction in the tropics

Research led by the University of Washington indicates that butterflies in the tropics are much more sensitive to temperature changes than those elsewhere. Scientists studied how temperature changes between 1950 and 2000 had affected 38 species of insects. They predict that tropical insects will struggle to cope with the 5.4C rise in tropical temperatures expected by 2100.
Although some species might be able to migrate uphill or towards higher latitudes, or adapt their behaviour to cope with the warmer climate, many others will die out.
"In the tropics, many species appear to be living at or near their thermal optimum, a temperature that lets them thrive, but once temperatures get above the thermal optimum, fitness levels most likely decline quickly and there may not be much they can do about it," said Joshua Tewksbury of the University of Washington.

The effects of climate change in the tropics are terrifying, and are largely the result of the mass destruction of rainforests. The Amazon is rightly referred to as the "lungs of the world", but also functions as a vast watershed and a powerful temperature regulator - the temperature within the shade of the rainforest is at least 12°C lower than that of surrounding rural or urban land.

Enormous swathes of Amazonian rainforest have already been deliberately burned to make way for cattle pastures. The nutrients in the soil become exhausted very quickly, and within the space of a few years desertification begins.

Vast expanses of Brazilian rainforest are being deliberately burnt down to make way for soybean plantations and temporary cattle pastures.

The headlong rush towards biodiesel fuel, and the dramatically increased demand for vegetarian food have caused several major international companies to buy up cheap rainforest, burn it to the ground, and replace it with vast soybean plantations.

These actions are crimes against the Earth, bringing mass extinction of birds, butterflies and all other wildlife.

Matters are made even worse because higher temperatures and much lower humidity in the deforested areas affect the climate of the entire region. The vegetation structure in the remaining rainforest areas consequently deteriorates, causing yet more extinctions, even in the allegedly "protected" areas.

The domino effect of climate warming causes the forests to shrink further, until what little remains has lost it's original character. Evergreen rainforest trees are unable to survive in the hotter drier conditions, their place taken by deciduous species which shed their leaves in the dry season. As the climate warms further thorn scrub takes over, but long before then the wonderful creatures of the rainforest have long become extinct.

Say NO to bio-fuel !

Vast swathes of Brazilian rainforest, as much as 53 percent in some states,  have been deliberately set on fire by US-based companies to make way for soybean plantations used for the production of bio-fuel. In Borneo and Sumatra the rainforests which are home to one of the world's most loved species, the orang-utan, are being destroyed at a catastrophic rate and are predicted to disappear entirely by 2020. The cause of the devastation - massive expansion of oil palm plantations for production of bio-fuel.

A study by the University of Minnesota, published in February, found that growing bio-fuel on converted rainforests, peat lands, savannas or grasslands created up to 420 times more carbon dioxide than it saved.

Several other reports have predicted that if bio-fuel development continues at it's present rate, it will cause in the destruction of virtually all of the world's rainforests within twenty years, yet governments, prompted by commercial interests, insist on continuing with this insanity.

This madness must stop ! Please visit the rainforestportal website where you can find more detailed information, and take part in on-line petitions to save the Amazon and the rainforests of Africa and Asia.

Within the next 50 years, virtually all of the world's rainforests will have been destroyed by mankind. A few butterfly species will be able to migrate to new areas, but most will be unable to find alternative habitats. By halfway through this century, if deforestation and climate change follow predicted paths, as much as half of all the world's butterfly species will be extinct.

Amazon rainforest in Brazil, after conversion to soybean plantations.
 
The Amazon rainforests and the cloudforests of the Andes together account for about 40 percent of all butterfly species on Earth. If deforestation continues at it's present rate, the rainforests will have entirely disappeared within 50 years, and almost half of the world's butterfly species will by then be extinct, with nothing more than museum specimens and photographs remaining.
 
learnaboutbutterflies urges every person viewing this website to take immediate action - please visit the rainforestportal and mongabay websites where you can find more detailed information, and take part in on-line petitions to save the Amazon and the rainforests of Africa and Asia.
 
 
How can YOU help save the rainforests ? - click here
  • drastically reduce consumerism
  • reduce your mileage - bio-fuel in your petrol and diesel destroys rainforests
  • boycott tropical hardwoods
  • boycott South American beef - the main cause of Amazonian devastation
  • boycott oil palm products - the main cause of Asian rainforest devastation
  • support initiatives to create eco-friendly employment for indigenous peoples
  • support eco-tourism - creating demand for privately owned nature reserves
  • reduce your carbon emissions
  • support rainforest conservation organisations
  • lobby politicians to make rainforest conservation a high priority issue
 
 
Text and photographs protected by Copyright © Adrian Hoskins 2007-2008, and must not be reproduced or published in part or in whole elsewhere in any form without written permission from Adrian Hoskins. Breach of copyright will be pursued by litigation.
 
Website designed, produced and owned by Adrian Hoskins