thingswithantlers:Arctic Reindeer Populations Are Dying Because Of Climate Change, A New Report Show
thingswithantlers:Arctic Reindeer Populations Are Dying Because Of Climate Change, A New Report ShowsWild reindeer in the Arctic may soon be reduced to the stuff of children’s tales, according to a new report evaluating the impact of climate change in the area. Over the last twenty years, herd populations of wild reindeer and caribou in the Arctic tundra have dropped by more than half, according to the Arctic Report Card, an annual report that’s been releasing updates on the status of the Arctic environment since 2006. One of the report’s key findings: Arctic reindeer and caribou populations have declined by roughly 56 percent in the last two decades.Scientists estimate there are around 2.1 million of the populations left in the area, though some herds experienced worse declines than others. In the Alaska-Canada region, for example, five herds were reduced by more than 90 percent, and don’t show any promising signs of recovering from this loss. The researchers noted that while it’s typical for herd numbers to fluctuate, many of the herds are exhibiting record low populations.There is not one sole cause for the decline, but researchers in the report agreed that climate change in the Arctic was “an overarching factor.” Air temperatures in the Arctic from 2014 to 2018 have surpassed all previous records since 1900, and temperatures in the Arctic are warming at double the rate of the rest of the world, the report noted. In one example, caribou’s adaptability (or lack thereof) to the changing temperatures was linked to diminished pregnancy and calf survival rates due to consecutive years of poor weather conditions like drought.Indigenous people in the area who rely on the reindeer and caribou for food security and as culturally significant symbols are facing a threat to their way of life due to the duration and severity of the declines, the report notes. Wild reindeer and caribou are also “a key species in the arctic food web,” the report continues, due to their essential role in the habitat’s food chain and ecosystem. -- source link