Climate Change Adaption Australia Report 2022

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Climate change adaption

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Table of Contents
Introduction......................................................................................................................................3
Australia’s biodiversity....................................................................................................................3
The impacts of climate change on the unique species in Australia.................................................4
1. Great Barrier Reef....................................................................................................................4
2. Koalas......................................................................................................................................6
3. Kangaroo..................................................................................................................................7
Conclusion.......................................................................................................................................8
References........................................................................................................................................9

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Introduction
In the environment, there are various changes which are taking place and due to that, there is an
impact on the biodiversity of that place. In this, there is the inclusion of the plants, animals and
other species. In the case of Australia, there is a risk which is involved concerning the
biodiversity. This is due to the changes in the climate which are taking place and the same will
be discussed in the report presented below. The causes which are responsible for the adverse
impacts will be discussed. How threat is added due to climate change will be taken into
consideration for the species which are mostly affected. There will be identification of the impact
which will be faced by the kangaroo, Great Barrier Reef, and koalas. The changing climate is
affecting the living and habitat of many species and the same will be taken into account. There is
a decline in the number of species of which some are on the verge of extinction and the same
will be explained together with the reasons.
Australia’s biodiversity
The biodiversity of Australia is its key part for the national identity and it is difficult to measure
the same. Various organizations are involved which support environmental services. In the
current period, there is a great threat which is being experienced in this sector because of the
changing climatic conditions (Finlayson et al., 2013). In the environment, various resources
which are required are on the decline which negatively impacts the biodiversity. The decline in
the availability of the water is being faced and that affects the species in that area. Out of the
total species, 70% are occupied by the mega diverse countries and Australia is one of them. In
Australia, there are various such species which specifically belongs to it and are prone to the
changes which are taking place in the climate (Earth hour, 2019). As per the views of Watson et
al., 2013, there is a decline in the resources which are required for the survival of the species and
that are making the threat for the biodiversity. Many species are at the risk of extinction and
decline of about 47% is faced in the natural ecosystem. Decrease of 82% is faced concerning the
biomass of wild mammals (Fidelman et al., 2013). The need is there to make the improvements
immediately so that the adverse impact can be eliminated to a certain extent. It has been reported
that there is a high risk which is involved and the support system is at the point of breaking up.
The main reasons which have been identified in this respect are the warming of oceans, an

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increase in land clearing and droughts. Various climatic changes are taking place and they need
to be controlled (Earth hour, 2019).
The impact is not only on the animals but plants are also getting affected by the changes which
are taking place. The animals are losing their food and shelter which makes them leave their
place and move to some other destination (Barron et al., 2012). At the other destination, the
weather conditions are not as per their requirement and they are not habitual to the same. This is
also a risk for them as they are not getting the required food and also predators are involved
which makes it all the more risky (Ahmed et al., 2012). There is a need for government
intervention in this situation as only they can stop the adverse situations by taking the
appropriate actions for them. There were around 40% threatened species for which the recovery
plans have been made but the documentation in relation to them was not completed. Due to this
no action has been taken and the loss which was taking place is still continuing (Bardsley &
Wiseman, 2012).
The impacts of climate change on the unique species in Australia
The change in the climatic conditions has been noticed in Australia and because of that, there is
an impact which is being faced by the species all over the country. There is the need to have an
understanding of the impact which is being made on the various species and details about the
same are given below.
1. Great Barrier Reef
Due to the changing climatic conditions the Ningaloo Reef and Great Barrier Reef have been
experiencing destruction at large scale. In the past years, there is the loss of around half of its
covers which is a risk (Wu et al., 2016). There is an increase in the temperature and by that the
ocean is more acidic and that leads to the destruction of coral as they are cooked alive (Climate
reality project, 2019). The Great Barrier Reef is extending to around 2300 km and is the home
for around 600 types of coral and also various species of fishes are found. There are various
negative impacts which are faced by coral due to climate change. They have lost their colors and
bleached to a white color. There are many pesticides which are flowing in the oceans and due to
them, the water is being polluted which is affecting the species in water. There is a rise in the

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temperature and that is considered to be the main cause (Economist, 2018). This is because with
the increase in the temperature the ocean becomes warmer and the marine animals lose their
color. Algae is the main food of the mammals and that is declining because of the climatic
changes (D’Olivo et al., 2013). All are not able to get their food in appropriate quantity which
affects their living. About one-fifth of the coral have lost their lives because of the bleaching and
this is more in northern regions. They are in danger and are losing life at great speed. The
government is stressed due to the same and is taking various actions to save the species from the
adverse impacts of climate change (Climate reality project, 2019).
The Great Barrier Reef had faced the impacts and it has increased more in 2017 due to the
continuous impact in two seasons. There is a reduction in the rainfall also by which the amount
of water which is required is reduced. There is the risk involved as the water is the habitat of
many species (Evans et al., 2013). There is a rise in the warmness of oceans and this is because
of the increasing global warming which is taking place. The temperature rise is not suitable for
the animals in water as they are habitual to the normal temperature (NCCARF, 2016). In such
hotness, they are not able to adjust and their survival becomes difficult. They are not able to get
the appropriate amount of the algae which is their major food as the same is not available at such
temperature (James, 2018). In addition to this, the cities are under development and there are
various chemicals which are released by the factories which are dumped in the oceans
(Ainsworth et al., 2016). The water gets polluted and there is an increase in the level of acid in it
which affects the corals and fishes adversely. They are not able to breathe in such acidic water
and also their skin loses color. They no longer remain attractive and this affects tourism also.
There is a decline in the number of visitors and it harm the tourism industry which needs to be
taken into consideration. There are various plans and programs which are launched by the
government so that the pollution can be controlled and by that, all the species will also be saved
to some extent (NCCARF, 2016). As per the views of the Australian government, (2019), there
is the situation of drought and by that, the habitat is an issue for the rock wallabies. They are
facing the food-related problem and this will increase with the time as there are other species
also who are in the requirement of food. There will be food shortage and that will lead to the risk
of existence for various species.

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2. Koalas
With the climatic change there is the impact on the forests as they are also not getting the
required amount of resource. There is a reduction in the rainfall and by that trees are not getting
enough amount of moisture (Brandy, 2018). The trees are declining and there is a reduction in
productivity which acts as the risk for the coming period also. Koalas are affected by this as they
are not getting the required nutrients and moisture. This is because eucalyptus leaves are not
providing with the required amount of nutrients as there is dryness in soil which is not sufficient
(The guardian, 2019). In the search of food, koalas travel from their habitat to other locations and
that leaves them in the vulnerable place. Koalas are the one who is fussy in eating the food and
does not eat much. They are only interested in eating the eucalyptus leaves and it is very
important for them. They suck the leaves and get the nutrients which are present in them and that
is the manner in which they get the energy (Earth hour, 2019).
By the changing climate and other factors, there is an increase in the level of CO2 and that
affects the level of nutrients which are present. Now, the koalas are not able to have the required
amount of the nutrients and that affects their living. They are not able to get the nutrients from
any other place as leaves are their only food from which they get their required nutrition. The
habitat of the koalas is also affected as they are not able to maintain a proper home to live. With
the increase in temperature, there is a rise in the number of bushfires (The guardian, 2019). The
summers remain for long and in that warmer atmosphere, there are more fires which destroy the
homes of koalas. They are requiring moving from their place to some other place in search of a
place to survive. This makes them vulnerable and they are not able to adapt to the changes in the
other place.
The temperature is different and also they are not able to get their required food. There is also the
risk which is involved in this process as there are predators that will be in search of koalas and
there will be accident risk also which is involved (Lunney et al., 2012). All of this makes the
survival difficult for the koalas and there are various steps which are taken to save them from all
the threats. Koalas have the thick skin which saves them in the cold weather of Australia but
because of the rising temperature, they feel extremely warm due to their skin. They are not able
to cope with the warm weather and go in search of the water and that makes them prone to the

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risk of the predators. There is the cutting of the forests which is taking place to develop the cities
there and that affects the natural plants and also those species that are dependent on them (The
guardian, 2019). In accordance with the view of Anthony et al., (2015), many animals live by
eating the plants and their products which are now not available because of the decline in the
trees. The negative impacts affect the whole species and they are at the verge of extinction and
for that, there are various measures which are taken by the government.
3. Kangaroo
Australia is known for its kangaroo and they are also getting affected with the increase in the
temperature in the environment. The contraction is caused by the change in the climate and by
that kangaroo are affected greatly (National geographic, 2008). The geographic range of
kangaroo is shrunk with the rising temperature. They are at risk and if the temperature continued
to grow then it will lead to the extinction of one species of kangaroo. With the increase in
pollution, there is an increase in global warming which taking place and that is affecting all the
animals as well as plants. They are not able to survive in that situation of the excessive rise in
temperature. There is the hot weather and because of that the species are not habitual and are
moving to other places in search of their livelihood. The other places are also not their habitat
and there they are facing increased risk (National geographic, 2008).
Henry et al., 2012 says that there is the risk that predators will be there and they will be in the
search of such animals only. They are habitual to the wet and humid climate which was available
in the dense rainforests in earlier situations. They are now facing the hot weather and because of
that, they are moving to the mountain ranges. The weather there is not comfortable for them and
is not getting the required food in those ranges. There is the difficulty which is faced by the
kangaroo in relation to the food and to get the proper food they leave their place and move to
other places. They come in the human community and the risk there increases. They are at risk
and will not be able to save them from the predators and attacks from other animals. There is
high risk which is involved in relation to their existence and they are likely to be extinct if the
situation continued for some more time (National geographic, 2008).
There are various species in kangaroos such as kangaroo island dunnart which has become
extinct and this is due to the climatic changes which have taken place (The conversation, 2013).

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The habitat of them has been lost because of the loss of agriculture due to increasing global
warming. This lead to their extinction as they were not able to find the place as their habitat and
did not survived. The similar case happened with the kangaroo island emu which got extinct very
earlier due to the hunting and loss of habitat (Emu ridge, 2019). There was burning of the forests
and because of that they were not able to find the place of habitat and this led to their extinction.
The weather conditions which are present due to the changing climate is not suitable for the
kangaroo and they are not able to deal with the same. There is a rise in the warm areas as the
temperature is increasing. This all is happening because of the global warming which is taking
place and that is having a negative influence (Australian Museum, 2018). Gell et al., 2013 says
that this is also affecting the economy as tourism is affected by the same. The wildlife and
natural places are the main attraction for the tourists and they are not seeing any advantage there.
The visitors are now not interested to visit the places because there is a decline in the wildlife
and the main attractions are at loss. The income which is earned by the country because of the
same is affected adversely and is declining
Conclusion
In the above-presented report, there has been a consideration of the biodiversity in Australia.
There are various species which are involved in the country and all of them have been identified.
There is the change in the conditions in the climate and all of them are identified to make the
complete analyzation. There is the identification of the various species and the manner in which
all of them are getting affected. There is an increase in temperature because of global warming
and is affecting the species negatively. The population is rising and with that, there is a decline in
the forests which is taking place and that is adversely affecting the wildlife. There is an increase
in pollution with that which affects the whole environment and the species that are present in it.

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