Change in the initial species richness in 2005 relative to 2001-2005 average (high-range climate change scenario). Studies predict species invasion will be profound in the Arctic and Southern Oceans. Among others these changes could result in a significant turnover of species of more than 60% of present biodiversity. This has the potential to disrupt a range of marine ecosystem services including food provisioning.

In the Arctic, impacts of climate change will include increased coastal erosion. For Arctic human communities impacts are projected to be mixed, with detrimental impacts expected on infrastructure and traditional indigenous ways of life in these regions. Food security for some subsistence systems will be threatened through changes in natural ecosystems.

Seasonal fooding can occur along all the major watersheds in the Himalayan region (Figure 11–14). The largest problems occur in food prone areas with high population densities. This includes parts of northeast India, south-central Nepal, central and southern Pakistan, large parts of Bangladesh and lower reaches of the large rivers in China. In India around 40 million people are affected by fooding annually and the damage has been estimated...

Working for the Coast is a programme initiated under the Social Responsibility Programme, which provides jobs and training for unemployed people in coastal communities to create and maintain a cleaner coastal environment. The programme works towards protecting the coastal ecosystems which are essential in providing food and sustenance for the many people living in urban and rural coastal areas.

Population growth puts pressure on coastal ecosystems. Increased population means growing demand for land for housing and infrastructure, increased use of living resources for food, and more use of available freshwater resources. The negative environmental impacts of the shipping industry also harm the coastal ecosystem. Impacts from shipping include oil spills and the discharge of ballast water and waste into the sea, which affect the quality of...

Orangutans are also still regularly killed or captured. This occurs for three main reasons: first, even today some people still hunt orangutans for food, most notably in the non-Muslim parts of North Sumatra. Second, when orangutans enter farms or plantations at the for-est edge, for example to feed on fruit trees or other crops, they are often shot or otherwise killed, and any surviving infant eventually ends up in trade or as someone’s illegal ...

The Red Knot is a migratory shorebird that travels up to 20,000 km twice a year from its breeding grounds on the high Arctic tundra to its southern non-breeding sites. Along with having one of the longest total migrations of any bird, some populations also fly as much as 8,000–9,000 km between stopover sites in a single flight. As a shellfish-eating specialist avoiding pathogen-rich freshwater habitats, the Red Knot relies on the few large ti...