The Norfolk Broads is a unique managed environment, providing a shelter for a number of endangered British species, including Cetti’s Warbler and the Norfolk Hawker Dragonfly.
A recent press release highlights the value of such protected regions; however, the Norfolk Broads is by no means safe.
Climate change is accelerating rates of sea level rise, placing the Broads at risk of flooding. Seawater intrusion is likely to result in salinisation, and subsequent ecological damage (Broads Authority).
Research has found that beyond a critical threshold, habitat fragmentation, a likely effect of sea level rise in the Norfolk Broads area, results in loss of genetic diversity, population decline and extinction. Shallow lakes are prone to dramatic state shifts following excessive nutrient loading, leading to eutrophication and species loss (Scheffer et al 2001). Worryingly, Thomas et al (2004) and Walther et al (2002) also note that shifts in timing of seasonal activities of plants and animals due to climate change, combined with habitat fragmentation, can result in large scale species loss.
Although undoubtedly valuable, protected areas such as the Norfolk Broads are still susceptible to the repercussions of climate change. With this in mind, is there any hope of preventing a mass extinction?
References
Opdam P. and Wascher D. (2004) ‘Climate change meets habitat fragmentation: linking landscape and biogeographical scale levels in research and conservation’, Biological Conservation, 117, 285-297.
Scheffer M., Carpenter S., Foley J.A., Folke C. and Walker B. (2001) ‘Catastrophic shifts in ecosystems’, Nature, 413, 591-596.
Thomas C.D., Cameron A., Green R.E., Bakkenes M., Beaumont L.J., Collingham Y.C., Erasmus B.F.N., Ferreira de Siqueira M., Grainger A., Hannah L., Hughes L., Huntley B., van Jaarsveld A.S., Midgley G.F., Miles L., Ortega-Huerta M.A., Townsend Peterson A., Phillips O.L. and Williams S.E. (2004) ‘Exctinction risk from climate change’, Nature, 427, 145-148.
Walther G.R., Post E., Convery P., Menzel A., Parmesan C., Beebee T.J.C., Fromentin J.-M., Hoegh-Guldberg O. and Bairlein F. 2002. Ecological responses to recent climate change. Nature 416, 389–95
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