Climate change threatens Borneo's native wildlife

CLIMATE change has evidently affected vertebrate populations in the tropics, particularly in Borneo where ecological communities are expected to move upward in both elevation and latitude.

Associate Professor at the Faculty of Science, Universiti Brunei Darussalam (UBD), Ulmar Grafe said environmental issues such as habitat alteration, pollution, agriculture, logging, forest fires and other various stressors have posed threats to Borneo's tropical diversity.

Grafe highlighted this during the second day of the Asem Workshop 2010 at the university's Chancellor Hall yesterday.

During the second session of the workshop which primarily discussed biodiversity, forest ecosystem and functions, Grafe presented his research on the biodiversity of amphibians and reptiles and assessing responses to climate change in vertebrates.

He said that some of the recent climate models which have been presented by various speakers at the workshop so far have predicted that temperatures in the tropics have been increasing from two to even six degrees, and if that is going to happen, then that will have great effect on the local species richness.

"What these predictions mean to us is that we're going to lose many of these interesting species which are unique to Brunei and Borneo."

Borneo is a biodiversity hotspot, home to a rich frog fauna with only limited similarity to other land masses within Sundaland. There are 160 different species of frogs in Borneo, with 100 of them native to the island.

"Many of these species of frogs might have medicinal value to us. Frog skin has the potential elements that might have miracle cure against cancer. If we lose these species as a result from climate change, that will be a great loss."

He added, "One of the problems we're facing is that we're on an island, and the species cannot move north to track cooler temperatures, so the only place they can go is up the hill. Unfortunately, Brunei doesn't even have that many hills."

Climate change models predict increased variability in the timing and amount of precipitation.

Terrestrial vertebrates most at risk are species with small geographic ranges, narrow physiological tolerances, limited dispersal abilities, and strict habitat requirements. For mammals, shifts in abundances and distribution are being predicted mostly for species in northern latitudes.

"As ectothermic vertebrates, amphibians and reptiles are particularly sensitive to and respond strongly to changes in variability of air and water temperature, precipitation, and the length of time in which water is available," he said.

He further elaborated several factors which influence the degree to which amphibians and reptiles respond to climate change: changes in local environmental and habitat conditions; timing of reproduction, dispersal and migration; interactions with emerging pathogens and invasive species and; interactions with other environmental stressors. Grafe has spent many years researching behavioural ecology, population ecology and physiological ecology of vertebrates. He is particularly interested in monitoring amphibian and reptile populations in tropical forests.

The Brunei Times