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APN International Seminar |
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02 December 2007, Kobe, Japan Background Global warming, due to the emission of greenhouse gases, is progressing and affecting ecosystems all over the world. Natural ecosystems provide human beings with essentials such as food, fibre, water, energy and air. Thus, stable ecosystems are the basis for human subsistence and security. Each ecosystem consists of diverse organisms and physical environments, and their interactions produce subsistence materials for human beings. Climate determines the distribution of organisms and regulates the magnitude of the biological-physical interactions. How does global warming affect ecosystems? How do we face the challenges of changing ecosystems? It is believed that temperature rise and precipitation change will not stop even if we moderately reduce greenhouse gases. We need to begin raising societal adaptability for changing ecosystems in addition to the efforts to mitigate global warming. In this seminar, Asia-Pacific scientists who study the influences of global warming spoke on the latest scientific results and point out the importance of adaptation. Programme (in pdf file) Kanehiro Kitayama (in Japanese) Basantha Shrestha (in English) Similar to the international seminar that APN organised last February, this recently concluded seminar was also a resounding success, and attracted around 140 participants. Six experts who study the influence of global warming were invited as speakers to share with the public the latest scientific results related to the theme and to stress the importance of adaptation. The Seminar was divided into three main sessions: Part 1 - The Current Situation and Projection of Ecosystems in Japan; Part 2 - The Current Situation and Projection of Ecosystems in Asia and the Pacific; and Part 3 - Discussion/Open-forum. The Current Situation and Projection of Ecosystems in Japan Dr. Toshi Nagata, Kyoto University , Japan , pointed out how global warming affects the Lake Biwa ecosystem causing great social concern. Lake Biwa is the largest freshwater lake in Japan and home to 58 indigenous species and more than 1,000 animals and plants which are essential not to Japan alone but to the world. Recent studies predicted the possibility of deficient ‘total circulation' due to global warming. ‘Total circulation' is a physical phenomenon where winter cooling of highly dense surface water sinks causes the lower layer of water and the upper layer of water to mix (convention). The insufficient cooling caused by global warming brings about low oxygen or no oxygen at all to the lakebed and deeper layers of the lake, thus potentially endangering the biological habitat. Elution of nutrient salts and hazardous chemical substances from the lakebed sediments could also trigger a sharp decline in water quality or outbreak of algae. Dr. Nagata stressed the importance of forecasting the future ecology of Lake Biwa based on scientific data. An overview of the impacts of global warming on natural forests in Japan was presented by Dr. Nobuyuki Tanaka, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute (FFPRI), Japan . His presentation focused on predicting suitable habitats under current and future climate conditions for Buna ( Fagus crenata ) forests, a typical Japanese natural forest. A study revealed that migration of Buna cannot keep up with the shift of suitable habitats (10-50km/100yr) due to climate warming because the past migration speed of Buna after the last glacial period was estimated to be 23km/100yr in some areas like Honshu and Hokkaido. He asserted the importance of assessing the adverse impacts of climate change on many plant species and proposing adaptation measures for conserving biodiversity such as determining vulnerable areas and refugia, planting, reducing species competition, making corridors of natural vegetation, and taking other protective management measures. Another expert from FFPRI, Dr. Hiromu Daimaru, gave a presentation on snow cover decrease and its impact on a mountain wet meadow. His report showed that present snow accumulation and snowmelt processes indicate that fluctuations of winter climate significantly influence the dimensions of summer snowpatches. Snowpatch grasslands in Japan are valuable not only as habitats for rare plant species, but also as records of past climates. Some climate models predict that increases in greenhouse gases will bring about decreased snowfall in winter and increased warming in the melt season in Japanese mountains. Global warming, therefore, will lead to extreme shrinkage or extinction of snowpatch grasslands. The Current Situation and Projection of Ecosystems in Asia and the Pacific Dr. Mastura Mahmud, University Kabangsaan, Malaysia , talked about tropical deforestation and its impact on the environment and quality of life. She emphasised that the multivariate causes in tropical deforestation make it extremely difficult to develop a widely accepted and applicable policy that can manage the issues of deforestation. She further noted that it is imperative that commitment and willpower of the people and decision-makers be reinforced for the survival of humans in the light of global warming. A presentation on the influence of global warming and land-use on the tropical rain forests of Southeast Asia was given by Dr. Kanehiro Kitayama, Kyoto University , Japan . He used Borneo, the third largest island in the world, which used to support the biggest area of contiguous tropical rain forest in Southeast Asia , as a model system of the Southeast Asian tropics to demonstrate present land-use changes and how these changes may interact with climate change to influence rainforests. Studies showed that if unsustainable logging continues, coupled with severe droughts due to global warming, the tropical rain forests of Borneo might irreversibly become the major source of carbon, which may lead to the loss of important habitats. Dr. Chuluun Togtohyn, Colorado University , U.S.A. , reported on the vulnerability of the Mongolian steppe and nomadic culture to climate change. He explained how ‘ecosystem function and services' in Mongolia change abruptly due to interacting climate change and human activities. This situation demands the implementation of adaptation strategies at pastoral community, local administrative unit, river basin, sub-regional and country levels, with participation of all stakeholders. He also mentioned that these strategies to global environmental change should be linked to the Sustainable Development and Medium Development Goals. In his presentation, Mr. Basanta Shrestha , International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD), Nepal , underscored the impact of climate change on Himalayan glaciers and glacial lakes. ICIMOD developed a comprehensive database to understand the impact of global change in the Himalayas and several studies revealed that most glaciers in Himalaya have been shrinking at accelerated rates in recent decades due to the impact of climate change. Himalaya is the womb of ice glaciers and the water tower of Asia ; hence, adaptive mechanisms and vulnerability assessment are necessary to forewarn the community. Facing the Challenge The last part of the seminar, moderated by Dr. Tanaka, was an open discussion wherein the participants were given the chance to comment on the presentation and ask questions. It was raised that two elements of biodiversity and ecosystems, will definitely undergo changes and that global warming will proceed to an extent that poses negative effects on these elements. Therefore, action must be taken in order to adapt to climate change and global warming. Further, experts and scientists play an important role and they should communicate their research results to policy-makers. This points to another challenge in how science can be better translated into policy, action and practices – a challenge that APN is also facing. The panellists agreed that climate change is one of the serious problems being faced by humankind and that the time has come for people to think collectively; determine what the human-induced impacts and natural impacts are, and then act accordingly. The APN would like to thank the Hyogo Prefectural Government, DIWPA and the following institutions for their support in the success of the Seminar: Ministry of the Environment, Japan ; Institute for Global Environmental Strategies (IGES), Kansai Research Centre; Hyogo Environmental Advancement Association, and the Japanese Society of Environmental Education, Kansai Branch.
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