While chameleons are notably adaptable to climate changes, the populations in Tanzania's montane rainforests have decreased by over 60 percent from historical levels in the past 50 years, owing to habitat loss and fragmentation. Globally, 50% of chameleon species are on the brink of extinction.
In a research published in Diversity and Distributions, a prestigious journal focused on organismal conservation, scientists conducted a survey of three chameleon species in the East Usambara Mountains of Tanzania. The study utilized a hierarchical, distance-sampling model. According to co-lead author James Vonesh, Ph.D., who is a biology professor in the VCU College of Humanities and Sciences, this research holds significance as it combines an extensive fieldwork effort (covering over 30 km of remote montane rainforest transects over two years) with innovative statistical and spatial analysis techniques.
Chameleons are a distinctive family of reptiles, renowned for their remarkable skin color-changing ability. This evolutionary feature has been utilized for millions of years for various purposes, such as camouflage, communication, and temperature regulation. However, a recent update from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List indicates that these unique lizards are experiencing a crisis that could lead to the extinction of many chameleon species.
The IUCN Red List is the world’s most comprehensive information source on the global conservation status of animal, fungi and plant species. It provides data, criteria, news and actions to inform and catalyze biodiversity conservation and policy change. Climate Change threatens184 of the world’s 200 chameleon species—or 92 percent of known species. Of these, nine species have been listed as Critically Endangered, 37 as Endangered, and 20 as Vulnerable, making a grand total of 66 threatened chameleons. If the Near Threatened category is taken into account—adding another 35 species—the percentage of chameleons in danger jumps to 55 percent.
chameleons are so much more threatened than reptiles in general, because so many chameleon species are “range-restricted,” which means that “these species are endemic to small geographic areas, often a particular habitat on a single mountain.”
When species are range-restricted, their risk of extinction is heightened in the face of other threats. Many of these isolated habitats are under significant pressure from anthropogenic human caused activities, which results in a large number of chameleon species being threatened with extinction.
Habitat degradation poses the most significant danger to the chameleon family today. Tanzania is renowned as a global biodiversity hotspot, distinguished among tropical African countries for its diverse ecosystems. These include Miombo woodlands, Acacia savannah woodlands, coastal forests, mangrove forests, and high forests. However, Tanzania confronts a major problem with the rapid deforestation rate, reaching a staggering 469,000 hectares annually. This critical issue is exacerbated by failures in the market and policies, rapid population growth, rural poverty, and the looming challenge of climate change. Despite the introduction of various forest management policies, the ecological integrity of Tanzania's natural forest reserves is at immediate risk due to unsustainable agricultural practices.
In 2023, Tanzania joined 154 nations in a commitment to advance clean energy initiatives and sustainable environmental management. This collective effort aims to bridge the climate finance gap and ensure equitable progress toward shared goals for livelihoods. Three initiatives are particularly promising in addressing Tanzania's deforestation, boosting the agricultural sector, and conserving the Chameleon. Extensive research into the biomass of the forest floor is underway to enhance planting strategies. By integrating this research with Native American planting techniques, which involve planting supportive crops around trees to increase yield, Tanzania could expand crop harvesting. This approach allows for multiple harvests throughout the year, providing a crucial key to not only profitability but also to eradicating hunger in the region.
Tanzania has signed an agreement to build the nation's inaugural solar photovoltaic power station, which will be integrated into the national electricity grid. The contract was finalized on May 29, 2023, in Dodoma by the Tanzania Electricity Corporation. Pairing this model and expanding it nationwide with a battery storage system could potentially double the nation's grid capacity within 10 years, thus enhancing business prospects across various sectors, reducing brownouts, and enabling the expansion of the Gross National Product (GNP) through reinvestment in production and manufacturing sectors that are not solely dependent on agriculture.
If Tanzania were to strike a deal with its citizens akin to India's approach in developing its tech infrastructure—by subsidizing education in vital sectors in return for a decade of service in designated corporations that contribute to infrastructure development—this could bolster the middle class and retain local expertise, thereby enhancing the nation's growth potential in key areas. Currently there are 30 nations with free college and no student debt.
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