Fauna bears brunt of climate's fury

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Keywords: Ecosystem, India

New Delhi/Chennai: In 2004, the Indian Government released its first report on climate change. While it spoke of things like higher temperatures, increased rainfall, food insecurity, it also stated that in the future the forest ecosystem would be the worst affected.

Nikhil Devsas, associated with the Delhi Bird Club, says: " It happened during the last month in Bharatpur which is one of the finest heronries in the world. This July, 400 Open Bill Storks built nests, paired, mated. And in August because of shortage of rainfall, all nests were abandoned."

This is no freak incident. With the weather increasingly playing spoilsport in many parts of the country, the flora and fauna seem to be bearing the brunt of the errant weathercock.

Sample this:

• Last year mango trees in Andhra Pradesh flowered three months early because of rising heat

• A few years ago, bees in the Himalayas were impacted by similar erratic flowering patterns, leading to a big drop in the honey supply
• Locals have also reported a marked decline in the population of Swallows in Srinagar valley
• In fact, rising temperatures in Delhi have even resulted in the near disappearance of some species of birds

"The Paradise Flycatcher and the Golden Oriole, their population has less than halved in a decade or so. I think it is safe to say that it’s a result of monsoon variations and climate change in turn that increases temperatures. It is already showing in insects and birds, and very soon it will start showing in smaller and larger mammals too," says filmmaker Rupin Dang.

Certain frog species are perhaps the most vulnerable to weather changes. With rainfall and temperature built into their lifecycle, erratic rainfall disrupts their breeding pattern.

Harry Andrews, a Herpatologist with Croc bank, Chennai, says: "Global warming patterns usually alter microhabitat of amphibians. The saddest part in India is that there is such little work done, we not even know of certain species, and they may just die out. Whether ponds are getting filled, or there are no ponds, there are too many buildings."

That's where the problem lies. With rapid development and urbanisation noticeably hurting the ecosystem, there's little homegrown research to link the issue to climate change.

But with the weather gods increasingly turning unpredictable, people need to re-look at the birds and the bees.

(With inputs from Anu Jogesh)