WILL FOREST PRESERVES PROTECT TEMPERATE AND BOREAL BIODIVERSITY FROM CLIMATE-CHANGE

Biological diversity is a rapidly declining global resource. Exploding human populations degrade the environment, destroy the habitats of ot her species, decimate their populations, and progressively alter the g lobal climate. Setting aside certain areas and protecting them is nece ssary. It is a vital emergency measure. Nevertheless, with the prospec ts of impending 'greenhouse' induced climatic changes, this may not be enough. A numerical simulation model of the global terrestrial biosph ere and quantitative indices of site biological diversity are used to predict the response of potential vegetation to climatic perturbations and to estimate the changes in global biological diversity which may result. This study suggests that climate change is likely to put globa l biological diversity, in general, and biodiversity in temperate and boreal biomes, in particular, in peril. Moreover, geographically prote cted areas, such as World Heritage sites, are threatened as well. If c onservation is to meet its mandate, if conservation is to actually pre serve the variety of life, it cannot limit itself to protecting contin ents and water bodies. Conservation should also include less tangible resources such as the atmosphere and the global climate. From the stan dpoint of global biodiversity preservation, limiting the magnitude and /or the rate of climate change would be most beneficial.