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Loss of biodiversity in the mountains particularly severe

Apr 13, 2011 / alpMedia
A study carried out across Europe using new measurement methods has shown that climate change impacting particularly heavily on plants in mountain regions. The vastly different mountain ecosystems are being recorded on a very small and accurate scale using special computer models.
Plants in the Pyrenees and the eastern Alps are likely to be the most affected by climate change.
Image caption:
Plants in the Pyrenees and the eastern Alps are likely to be the most affected by climate change. © Christian Watzke / flickr.com
As a result the forecasts are more accurate. Previously such prediction models existed only on a much larger scale. The future is bleak for over 2,600 plant species. According to the topographic and climate models a large number of mountain species are set to lose more than 80% of their habitat by 2070-2100. Higher temperatures and lower precipitation are stated as the main causes.
Sources: www.umweltbundesamt.at/aktuell/presse (de), www.eu-umweltbuero.at/cgi-bin/neu/cont (de), http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j