New Research Drought Impacts on Wildlife Can Inform Conservation Strategies

A new research has established that many wildlife species will face much more frequent and severe droughts in the future. By 2050-80, year-long droughts could happen almost five times as often, and three-year droughts almost seven times as often compared to past decades. These changes will require animals to adapt significantly. Scientists have identified areas with high biodiversity and high risk that can help managers focus attention for conservation efforts. The south-western US is a critical area where many species will be more affected by increased droughts.

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People around the world are dealing with drought, so it's not shocking that it affects wildlife, too: lack of moisture contributes to habitat loss, affects how animals compete for resources, and leads to dehydration and heat stress. The surprising part? The extreme degree to which many animals may need to adapt.

New research predicts that many wildlife species in the continental United States will experience year-long droughts nearly five times as often in the coming decades (2050-80) than they did historically (1950-2005). In an even more dramatic turn of events, three-year droughts may become nearly seven times more frequent. “The degree of increased drought exposure for each species in our analysis strongly depends on future greenhouse gas concentrations,” said Dr Merijn van den Bosch, the lead author of the study. “But even under a lower-concentration scenario, virtually all vertebrates face increased year-long and multi-year droughts in the second half of this century. The implications will depend on the species and the length of the drought.”