Stigande havsnivåers påverkan på hotade groddjur

Sammanfattning: Climate change and biodiversity loss are two of the major challenges of our time, and are strongly interconnected. Sea level rise is a consequence of these and a significant threat to global coastal habitats. This study assesses these issues in detail in the context of the ongoing EU Life project ‘SemiAquatic Life’, which aims to recreate habitats for semi aquatic fauna such as amphibians and insects. The project creates wetlands, including coastal ones. This paper shall evaluate the risks posed by sea level rise for amphibians targeted by the project; and how rising sea levels may threaten the objectives of conservation measures. The study demonstrates that all locations of the planned wetlands investigated are threatened by a sea level rise of 2 meters above current sea level. Some already face a current threat of inundation if the sea level rises by 1 to 1.5 meters. According to the latest climate research models, the mean sea level will not peak to these levels in the upcoming decennials. However, wetlands face a higher risk of temporary flooding, and despite this process being natural, the frequency of flooding will increase as a consequence of rising mean sea levels. Temporary flooding by sea water creates problems for amphibian reproduction due to the intrusion of salt water and predatory fish. However, the amphibians targeted in this project have different tolerance to salinity, making some species more vulnerable to sea level rise than others. Future conservation planning should consider the risks posed by mean sea level rise and temporary floods.