Climate change is having unexpected impacts on baboons, even though these species are thought to be flexible and resilient
References
| Title | Climate change is putting even resilient and adaptable animals like baboons at risk |
|---|---|
| Degree of recognition | International |
| Media name/outlet | The Conversation UK |
| Media type | Web |
| Country/Territory | United Kingdom |
| Date | 16/05/19 |
| Description | Baboons are large, smart, ground-dwelling monkeys. They are found across sub-Saharan Africa in various habitats and eat a flexible diet including meat, eggs, and plants. And they are known opportunists – in addition to raiding crops and garbage, some even mug tourists for their possessions, especially food. We might be tempted to assume that this ecological flexibility (we might even call it resilience) will help baboons survive on our changing planet. Indeed, the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), which assesses extinction risk, labels five of six baboon species as “of Least Concern”. This suggests that expert assessors agree: the baboons, at least relatively speaking, are at low risk. Unfortunately, my recent research suggests this isn’t the whole story. Even this supposedly resilient species may be at significant risk of extinction by 2070. |
| URL | https://theconversation.com/climate-change-is-putting-even-resilient-and-adaptable-animals-like-baboons-at-risk-115588 |
| Persons | Isabelle Winder |
| Title | Flexible and omnipresent baboons could be at risk |
|---|---|
| Degree of recognition | International |
| Media name/outlet | Bangor University Press Office |
| Media type | Web |
| Country/Territory | United Kingdom |
| Date | 16/05/19 |
| Description | Despite being so commonplace in some regions of Sub-Saharan Africa that baboons can be considered pests to some communities, new research shows that half the six species of baboons present in the region could be at risk by mid-century. A recent paper in the Journal of Biogeography reveals that baboons, most of which are in the ‘of Least Concern’ category on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, could struggle for survival under future climate conditions. The risk to their survival comes only from considering the effects of human-induced climate change. If such large, flexible primates can be at risk in such a short time-frame, should conservationists be rethinking how they classify risk categories to include climate effects which have already been set in action? |
| URL | https://www.bangor.ac.uk/news/archive/flexible-and-omnipresent-baboons-could-be-at-risk-40716 |
| Persons | Isabelle Winder |