Climate change in the UKOTs an overview of the ... - JNCC - Defra

Box 9. Why is biodiversity important to us?
The term biodiversity or biological diversity refers to the variety of plant and animal
life on Earth. It includes the different ecosystems and habitats, the range of species
found in them and the variation in their genetic makeup.
All of these come together in the natural environment and support human existence by
providing direct and indirect benefits. These include ecosystem goods and services like
food, water, timber, genetic material for medicines and cosmetics, as well as regulation
of climate, flooding, water quality. Biodiversity also supports ecological processes that
maintain the environment, including pollination and soil formation. The benefits of
biodiversity also include social benefits such as recreation, aesthetic enjoyment,
spiritual fulfillment, tourism, education and research. Biodiversity is also important in
its own right; natural heritage is every bit as precious as cultural heritage.
Preserving biodiversity is important for maintaining known benefits, goods and
services, as well as safeguarding potential benefits. As species are lost, so too is the
potential they may offer for new fibres, fuels, medicines, and crops, among other things.
recognised through the designation as
World Heritage Sites of Gough Island and
Inaccessible Islands (Tristan) and Henderson
Island (Pitcairn) for their insular
natural heritage interests (JNCC, 2006).
One of the impacts associated with climate
change is species expansion, that is, the
migration of plants and animals to new
ranges for all or part of their life cycle
because of changed climatic conditions
that allow them to thrive outside their usual
range. In the absence of natural predators
or competitors, they sometimes change
the balance of species in the new location.
Conversely, they create room for other
species to become established. Changes,
over time, could lead to a considerable
decline in the populations of some plants
and animals, or even their local or global
extinction. Besides prompting changes in
species range and abundance, climate
change affects species composition, or
the variety of species found in an area.
Climate change is not the only threat to
ecosystems and habitats, but the effects of
climate change on them reinforce just how
important it is to conserve biodiversity
resources to minimise the loss of species.
Although biodiversity is threatened by climate
change, proper management of biodiversity
resources can reduce the
impacts of climate change. Some of the
ways in which this can be done include:
• protecting and enhancing ecosystem
services;
• managing habitats for endangered
species;
• creating refuges and buffer zones; and
• establishing networks of terrestrial,
freshwater and marine protected areas
that take into account projected
changes in climate (Secretariat of the
Convention on Biological Diversity,
2007).
3.2 Regional trends and
national impacts
3.2.1 Antarctic and sub-Antarctic
There are two UKOTs in this region: the
British Antarctic Territory and South
Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands.
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