Alert for climatic events –

MADRID (EFE).— Extreme climate events, such as cyclones or droughts, have already doubled or even tripled in the protected areas of the Caribbean and Central America so far this century, so a study warns of the urgent need for mitigation strategies. adaptation.

An investigation carried out by researchers from the National Museum of Natural Sciences (MNCN-CSIC), in Spain, and the University of Évora (Portugal), reported yesterday in the magazine Conservation Biology, analyzed the past evolution and the expected projections of climatic impacts in this region of the planet characterized by biodiversity as rich as it is vulnerable.

“Half a century ago, ecosystems characteristic of the Caribbean and Central America such as mangroves or tropical dry forests not only mitigated the effect of hurricanes or heat waves, but were capable of recovering, but with an increase in their frequency and intensity, each perhaps they have it more complicated,” explains one of the authors, MNCN researcher Miguel Bastos Araújo.

“Our estimates suggest that approximately 65% ​​of the area studied will suffer in the remainder of the century at least a more intense and prolonged drought than those suffered until now. To this we must add the effect of other extreme events, hence the situation requires taking measures,” he continues.

Scientists have studied 32 parameters of historical extreme climate events in the Caribbean and Central America and those predicted for the remainder of the century, in total a period between 1952 and 2100) both inside and outside protected areas.

The data show that protected areas will be more exposed to heat waves or cyclones than other areas that do not enjoy this protection, so researchers warn of the need to adapt conservation strategies to the extreme climatic events that occur. they hope and try to interconnect these protected spaces so that they are more resilient.

“The trend of recent decades shows us that the duration and intensity of these climatic disturbances is increasing and the forecast for the future is that these events will be more intense and frequent,” says Araújo.

“Current strategies to protect biodiversity against gradual temperature increases may not be effective, since a greater recurrence and duration of extreme events may not give species enough time to recover and adapt,” explains the researcher from the University of Évora, Juan David González-Trujillo.