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Male turtles 'could disappear'
06/10/2005 07:57 - (SA)
London - Global warming could have devastating effects on migratory species, including the possible disappearance of male sea turtles, a study warned on Thursday.
A research team led by the British Trust for Ornithology said climate change could disrupt migration and breeding for many animals, with dire consequences for vulnerable species like the marine turtle.
Warmer climates could result in exclusively female turtle populations because the gender of hatchlings is affected by water temperature, the study said.
In addition, a third of turtle nesting sites in the Caribbean could be destroyed by rising seas, it warned.
Whales and polar bears, as well as birds that migrate across the expanding Sahara desert, are among the other species most potentially affected.
"The report is sobering," said British biodiversity minister Jim Knight, attending a European Union nature summit in Aviemore, Scotland.
"Because they rely on such separated and often diverse habitats, migratory birds and animals seem to be especially vulnerable to the impacts of climate change.
"They are among the first creatures to show us the effects of climate change on wildlife. Some of the problems they are experiencing now are problems we can expect to see in other animals in the decades ahead," he said.
While warmer temperature could benefit some species, it may force others to extinction, the report warned.
- AFP
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