ARKive’s Creative Climate Change Challenge was launched during Climate Week back in March. We asked you to get creative and through an exciting and engaging way, raise awareness about a species affected by climate change.

The creativity was outstanding – we received everything from papier mache penguins to clownfish cookies. The ARKive judges were taken on an emotional roller coaster – from the tear jerking tale of the table mountain ghost frog to the awe-inspiring sounds of a karaoke koala!

The judges were looking for entries which evoked an emotional response that would inspire people to do something to help combat climate change. The results are in and there were 3 entries that, in the judges’ minds, stood out above the rest. So, drum roll please……..

Winner of the 16-18 category

I bet your drum roll’s not as good as the drumming skills of these very worthy winners - the Antsiranana Boy Scouts group! The scouts wrote and performed a song about climate change and its effects on the hawksbill turtle, which nests on the beaches of Northern Madagascar where the boys live. The scouts conduct all their awareness raising activities in collaboration with Community Centred Conservation (C3).

The Antsiranana Boy Scouts say, “We will be performing this song in local rural communities, but hope that people all over the world will watch online and learn more about the effects of climate change on the fano hara (hawksbill turtle in Malagasy) and what can be done to help.”

Winner of the 12-15 category

The polar bear is the star of the show in this poetic piece of song-writing by 14 year–old Emmy, from the US. Download the polar bear song.

Winner of the under 11 category

And finally, the prize for the under 11 category goes to Marcus and Kalina from the the UK. Top marks for entertainment. Flying fish anyone?

Marcus and Kalina’s teacher, Tasha Waldman, believes that educating children about climate change helps to raise awareness of our planet, giving understanding and hope to future generations. Marcus comments “Global warming is important because it is changing our planet and we need to help animals who can’t change with it“. Kalina agrees saying, “Lots of animals are dying and it’s our fault. It’s not just minor, it’s a MAJOR problem“. Wise words from some of our youngest contestants.

Get involved

Why not share one of the Creative Climate Change Challenge winning entries, helping our worthy winners to get their voice and message about climate change heard around the globe.

You can also let us know what you’re doing to help combat climate change by entering your comments below or joining in the conversation on Facebook, Twitter or Google+.

Congratulations to all our winners and a big thank you to all who took part in ARKive’s Creative Climate Change Challenge.

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Climate change will make conserving the world’s biodiversity – including the human benefits associated with conservation, such as clean air and water – much more challenging and expensive, research reveals.

Climate change driving up costs

According to a group of international researchers convened by Conservation International, climate change may in some cases drive up costs by more than 100%.

Focussing on species and ecosystems in South Africa, Madagascar and California, the researchers present the first ever estimates of how much it will cost the global community to adapt conservation efforts to climate change, calling the studies a ‘wake-up call’.

The results of the research have been published as a series of three papers in the journal Conservation Biology, under the title ‘Conservation Focus: Costs of Adapting Conservation to Climate Change’.

Madagascar

Asteropeia micraster, an endangered plant belonging to the Asteropeiaceae - a family endemic to Madagascar

In Madagascar, one of the world’s most biologically rich countries, researchers predicted how climate change would affect the ranges and survival of 74 endemic plant species between the years 2000 to 2080.

They found that as the climate in Madagascar changes over time, species that are currently protected in today’s forests will be pushed out into areas where forests are unprotected or gone.

The vast majority of Madagascar’s forests have already disappeared due to habitat loss, and the researchers found that restoring forests to avoid extinction of species would in future be harder and more expensive than maintaining existing forest.

The researchers calculated that maintaining existing forests in community-managed areas costs about $160-576 per hectare, while restoring forests in the same areas would cost six times as much.

California

Bay checkerspot on a tidy-tips flower - one of 11 species studied in California as part of research on the costs of climate change

In California, the researchers picked 11 species, including the Bay checkerspot butterfly, the grasshopper sparrow and the San Joaquin kit fox, all of which occur within a conservation area in the Central Coast of California. They then projected the costs of conserving these species in 2050 and 2100 under realistic climate change scenarios.

The results of the study showed that under climate change, the boundaries of the California conservation area will need to be dramatically expanded and many of the species studied will need interventions such as captive breeding and relocation to achieve current conservation goals.

According to the researchers, the costs of meeting conservation goals for the 11 species studied will be close to 150% higher than if there is no climate change by 2050, and could be up to 220% more by 2100 – at a cost of $2.63 billion.

South Africa

The silver tree, a member of the Proteaceae family, in fynbos habitat in the Cape Floristic Region, South Africa

The studies carried out by scientists in South Africa looked at options to expand protected areas in the Cape Floristic biodiversity hotspot to safeguard the survival of 316 species unique to the Proteaceae family of flowering plants.

The results demonstrated that protecting sufficient habitat for this important family of plants to make them more resilient to climate change could cost over $1 billion. However, by establishing new contracts with landowners and exploring more cost-efficient avenues to manage the important habitats in the region, these costs could be reduced significantly.

A costly wake-up call

According to Lee Hannah, lead author and senior scientist for climate change biology at Conservation International, “The specific effects of climate change on species in South Africa, Madagascar and California are very different, but the costs of conserving them will certainly increase considerably in all three regions under climate change. We can have a healthy planet and keep extra costs to a minimum by acting quickly to cut emissions and incorporate climate change into conservation plans.”

Read the full press release at Conservation International

Read the three papers in Conservation Biology – Conservation Focus: Costs of Adapting Conservation to Climate Change.

Find out more about Climate Change on ARKive

Helen Roddis, ARKive Species Text Author

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Now in its seventh year, Earth Hour is a global event symbolising solidarity in the fight against one of the greatest threats to our planet – climate change.

In 2011, more than 5,200 cities and towns in 135 countries switched off their lights for WWF’s Earth Hour, sending a powerful message to global leaders that the world wants immediate action on tackling climate change. Hundreds of millions of people are set to join in again this year, with many going ‘Beyond the Hour’ to commit to lasting action for the planet.

Earth Hour 2012 takes place at 8:30 pm local time on Saturday 31^st March, so get ready to flick those switches and join in the fight for a healthier planet! Here at ARKive, we’re taking a peek at a few species which are pretty good ambassadors of energy conservation and efficiency, as well as a species which functions quite well without light!

Mexican tetra

The Mexican tetra lacks functioning eyes

The Mexican tetra is a primarily carnivorous fish, of which there are two different forms. One of these forms lives in dark caves, and as a result it does not have functioning eyes. If this fishy fellow can survive without light its whole life, I reckon we can cope for an hour or so!

Sea otter

Sea otters often hold their paws out of the water to retain heat

Sea otters are able to keep warm by having the densest fur of any mammal, with about one million hairs per square centimetre of skin. While resting on its back, this marine mammal is often seen holding its paws out of the water; this helps to reduce the amount of body heat lost to the water, and can also help keep the sea otter’s body temperature up by absorbing radiant heat from the sun.

Emperor penguin

Emperor penguins huddle together to keep warm in harsh, icy winds

Emperor penguins live in one of the harshest environments on the planet, braving temperatures as low as -60°C. In order to survive the extreme cold, penguins often huddle together in large groups to conserve body heat. The penguins rotate positions within the swarm of feathery bodies, so that no single individual is constantly on the colder exterior of the group.

California condor

California condors soar on thermals created in their arid environment

The California condor may be big and bulky, but it is an energy-efficient flyer. It takes advantage of the hot air currents formed in its arid environment, and simply uses its large wings to soar on these thermals, expending little energy in doing so. This species has also developed its own answer to air-conditioning; the California condor urinates on its own legs to take heat away from its body through evaporation. The cooled blood is then circulated through the rest of the body.

Cheesman’s gerbil

Cheesman's gerbils are well adapted to conserving water

Cheesman’s gerbil lives in desert areas where water is a luxury, and this rodent has developed a highly efficient digestive system which enables it to extract as much water as possible from its food.

Dung beetle

Dung beetles are some of nature's best recyclers

Dung beetles are rather ‘green’ creatures, as they play a huge role in the removal and breakdown of dung in the environment, and help to recycle nutrients into the soil. There are many species of dung beetle, and the work of these recycling champions improves soil structure and fertility.

Don’t forget, Earth Hour is on Saturday 31^st March at 8:30 pm local time, so join the ARKive team and millions of other people worldwide and switch off those lights!

Kathryn Pintus, ARKive Species Text Author

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According to new research, Mexico is at risk of losing a substantial portion of its cloud forest to climate change over the next few decades.

The Endangered black-handed spider monkey is found in Mexico's cloud forests

Cloud forests at risk

The results of this new research, published in Nature Climate Change, indicate that Mexico could lose almost 70% of its cloud forest by 2080 due to the effects of global climate change. These findings may also have implications for cloud forests worldwide.

Cloud forests are unique ecosystems, typically defined as being tropical forests growing at an altitude of more than about 2,500 to 3,000 metres. These forests obtain the majority of their moisture from fog, and are home to a wide variety of species which are not found anywhere else, including certain species of orchid, hummingbird and amphibian.

Rocio Ponce-Reyes, lead author of the study from the ARC Center of Excellence for Environmental Decisions (CEED) and The University of Queensland, explains her fears for these species-rich ecosystems, “Given the narrow environmental tolerance of cloud forests, the fear is that human-induced climate change could constitute an even greater peril [than deforestation] in the near future.”

The yellow-blotched palm-pitviper, another cloud forest species, is classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List

Double trouble for biodiversity

Researchers discovered that rising temperatures and changing climatic conditions could potentially destroy 11,685 square kilometres of cloud forest in Mexico alone, which equates to 69% of the country’s total cloud forest cover.

Yet unfortunately the bad news does not stop there for this unique ecosystem. The majority of Mexico’s cloud forest (88%) remains unprotected, which means that it is incredibly vulnerable to deforestation and degradation. The great worry is that if the unprotected forests are cleared and climate change simultaneously impacts the remaining areas of forest as predicted, Mexico could lose a massive 99% of its cloud forest, as well as most of its species.

Researchers are calling for immediate action to protect those cloud forests which are deemed to be the most resilient to the impacts of climate change, such as the Sierra de Juárez which is known to house 22 of Mexico’s most threatened species. “At present only about 12 percent of Mexico’s cloud forest is protected – and it is not clear how effective that protection will be by the latter part of this century,” says Ms Ponce-Reyes.

The horned guan is an Endangered cloud forest species

Wider implications

Although the recent study focuses on Mexico, the startling results have global implications, raising questions about the future status of cloud forests in other areas such as Central America, South America, sub-Saharan Africa, Southeast Asia and the Malay Archipelago.

Cloud forests remain largely unstudied by researchers, despite harbouring a wealth of endemic and undiscovered species, and unfortunately these rich ecosystems are now rapidly disappearing as a result of logging and deforestation for agricultural land.

The research scientists highlight that their results have produced a stark warning for the future, “If bold measures are not taken very soon to reduce the concentration of greenhouse gases, these forests are unlikely to survive in their present form, with anything near their present diversity, very far into the twenty-first century.”

Read more on this story at Mongabay.com – Cloud forests may be particularly vulnerable to climate change.

Learn more about climate change on ARKive.

Explore species found in Mexico on ARKive.

Kathryn Pintus, ARKive Species Text Author

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Although Adélie, chinstrap and gentoo penguins share their western Antarctic Peninsula breeding grounds, new research has discovered that rising temperatures have been affecting the breeding cycles of the three species in different ways.

Gentoo penguin colony with chicks. Gentoo penguin populations are thought to have increased on the Antarctic Peninsula

Tracking penguin colonies

Professor Heather Lynch and her colleagues from Stony Brook University used a combination of fieldwork and satellite imagery to track colonies of the three penguin species and monitor how their breeding cycles were affected by the region’s warming temperatures.

Currently, the Antarctic is considered to be one of the world’s most rapidly warming regions and is one of the areas most impacted by global climate change.

Adelie penguins walking along the beach. Adelie populations have declined in the Antarctic, possibly due to warming temperatures in the region

Shifting breeding cycles

According to Lynch’s research, warmer temperatures cause a shift in the breeding cycle, causing the Peninsula’s penguin inhabitants to lay their eggs earlier. The researchers found that the resident gentoo penguin population is able to adapt more quickly to this change, with these birds able to bring their egg laying dates forward by almost twice as much as the Adélie or chinstrap penguins. 

Lynch believes this may allow the gentoo penguin to better compete for the best nesting space. In addition, the gentoo prefers areas with less sea ice, and has been able to migrate further south into the Antarctic as the sea ice shrinks as a result of the warming temperatures.

While gentoo penguins are year-round residents on the Antarctic Peninsula, Adélie and chinstrap penguins migrate to the Peninsula to breed. The researchers believe that the Adélie and chinstrap penguins are not aware of the local conditions in the region until they arrive, and have not been able to advance their breeding cycles as rapidly as the gentoo penguin.

Chinstrap and Adélie penguins also rely more heavily on sea ice due to their dependence on Antarctic krill, a species which lives under the sea ice for parts of its lifecycle, for food.

Gentoo penguin adult and chick

Changing penguin populations

As a result of changing conditions in the region, the number of gentoo penguins has been increasing on the Antarctic Peninsula, while populations of both Adélie and chinstrap penguins have noticeably dwindled in recent years.

Analyses carried out by Lynch and her team have confirmed that populations of the Adélie penguin have decreased at almost all of its breeding locations on the Antarctic Peninsula. The researchers have also helped to resolve previous contradictory studies that suggest that the chinstrap penguin may benefit from decreasing sea ice, and have instead shown that populations of this species are also decreasing in the region.

The work by Lynch and her team has been published as a series of papers online in Polar Biology, Ecology and Marine Ecology Progress Series (MEPS).

Chinstrap penguins on beach. Chinstrap populations have also suffered as a result of rising Antarctic temperatures

Read the Stony Brook University press release about Lynch’s work.

Find out more about the Adélie, chinstrap and gentoo penguins on ARKive.

For more information on the Antarctic visit ARKive’s Antarctic ecoregion page.

Interested in how climate change is affecting the world’s species? Find out more on ARKive’s climate change pages, or enter our creative climate change challenge!

Helen Roddis, ARKive Species Text Author

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