Study Finds That Climate Change Threatens South Africa's Fynbos
A study using data stretching back several decades has produced the first empirical evidence that increasingly hot, dry summers driven by climate change are having a negative effect on the Cape's unique fynbos.
The findings also raise questions about the effect this climate change impact could have on the Western Cape's water catchment areas in the long-term.
South African Environmental Observation Network (SAEON) researcher Jasper Slingsby, a biodiversity scientist who led the research project, said while scientists had known for some time that the changing climate would likely affect ecosystems, they did not know how much the climate needed to change before any ecosystem impacts could be detected.
Alexey Yakovlev