Ecosystems that host the most biodiversity tend to have ideal environmental conditions for plant growth, like the warm and wet climate of tropical regions. In addition, plants used for afforestation in the northern Aralkum in Kazakhstan were documented to have improved soil quality by reducing the soil salinity level and enhancing soil enzyme activities, however, monitoring might be needed for at least two decades to detect trends (An, Chang, Han, Khamzina, & Son, 2020). https://doi.org/10.1080/15324982.2013.855958, Schad P (2014) World reference base for soil resources 2014. https://www.fao.org/3/i3794en/I3794en.pdf, Schlter M, Khasankhanova G, Talskikh V, Taryannikova R, Agaltseva N, Joldasova I, Abdullaev U (2013) Enhancing resilience to water flow uncertainty by integrating environmental flows into water management in the Amudarya River, Central Asia. But human activity has changed the natural processes of extinction and evolution. If we wait a while, we might be able to spot a garter snake, a bullfrog, or maybe a red-winged blackbird. Central Asia, which contains extensive dryland ecosystems, is among the regions most heavily impacted by the global climate change, and the trends are projected to accelerate in the coming decades (Lioubimtseva & Henebry, 2009), (Yushanjiang, Zhang, & Leong Tan, 2021), (Schlter, et al., 2013), (Yang, et al., 2019) putting even more pressure on precious natural resources and already fragile ecosystems. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmarsys.2011.10.004, Matsui K, Watanabe T, Kussainova M, Funakawa S (2019) Soil properties that determine the mortality and growth of Haloxylon aphyllum in the Aral region, Kazakhstan. Ecological biodiversity is the diversity of ecosystems, natural communities, and habitats. J Environ Plan Manage 59:142162. There is more biodiversity within tropical ecosystems than temperate or boreal ecosystems. High niche diversity refers to the presence of multiple traits in the same or different species, which is a characteristic of ecosystems with a high biodiversity. Nature-based solutions, as a recently emerged approach for sustainably mitigating and adapting to environmental challenges, have gained considerable attention in the scientific literature recently. The desiccation and subsequent almost complete loss of the Aral Sea, once the worlds fourth largest inland water body (Lemly, Kingsford, & Thompson, 2000), having had far-reaching social, economic and ecological implications in all countries of Central Asia aggravated the situation even more. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaridenv.2009.04.022, Lw F, Dimov D, Kenjabaev S, Zaitov S, Stulina G, Dukhovny V (2021) Land cover change detection in the Aralkum with multi-source satellite datasets. Over generations, all of the species that are currently alive today have evolved unique traits that make them distinct from other species. Google Scholar, Djalilov BM, Khamzina A, Hornidge A-K, Lamers JP (2016) Exploring constraints and incentives for the adoption of agroforestry practices on degraded cropland in Uzbekistan. C. Ecosystems with more species diversity are more likely to recover after a disturbance than ecosystems with low species diversity. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.13280, Taillardat P, Thompson BS, Garneau M, Trottier K, Friess DA (2020) Climate change mitigation potential of wetlands and the cost-effectiveness of their restoration. PEERJ 7. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.7665, Li J, Ma X, Zhang C (2020) Predicting the spatiotemporal variation in soil wind erosion across Central Asia in response to climate change in the 21st century. If material is not included in the articles Creative Commons license and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. 2023 Springer Nature Switzerland AG. Most medical discoveries to cure diseases and lengthen life spans were made because of research into plant and animal biology and genetics. Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article. Glob Change Biol 26:61346155. Also, NbS are considered amongst those tools with the greatest potential to reach the UN Sustainable Development Goals (Dubey, Singh, Chaurasia, Pandey, & Singh, 2021), (Gmez Martn, Giordano, Pagano, van der Keur, & Mez Costa, 2020), which Uzbekistan has committed to achieving by 2030 (The State Committee of the Republic of Uzbekistan on Statistics, 2022). Biodiversity is a term used to describe the enormous variety of life on Earth. https://doi.org/10.1080/09640568.2014.996283, Djoudi H, Brockhaus M, Locatelli B (2013) Once there was a lake: Vulnerability to environmental changes in northern Mali. Others note features like potential wildlife corridors. Examples of grassland restoration activities given as NbS options, i.e., prohibition of grazing in some areas of China (Yao, Fu, Liu, Wang, & Song, 2021), were reported to have compromised herders income opportunities. Content analysis suggests that the NbS approach has been poorly documented in dryland ecosystems. They have been seen as a sustainable tool for the provision of benefits both for the environment and for society, which synergizes conservation efforts. If a media asset is downloadable, a download button appears in the corner of the media viewer. IUCN, International Union for Conservation of Nature. Some human activities have indirect but wide-reaching effects on biodiversity as well, including climate change and pollution. Overall, in our view, the most common possible issues of NbS application in the Aral Sea basin requiring further in-depth research are the following: Resilience of afforested areas to weather changes, temperature fluctuations, water availability and their long-term sustainability. projecting the likely impacts on biodiversity and nature's . Some areas in the world, such as areas of Mexico, South Africa, Brazil, the southwestern United States, and Madagascar, have more biodiversity than others. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gloplacha.2013.05.007. The relative cost-efficiency of NbS (Bonn, Allott, Evans, Joosten, & Stoneman, 2016), (Girardin, et al., 2021) has led to their increased popularity recently.NbS offer quite a range of benefits (Seddon, et al., 2020), (Girardin, et al., 2021), including biodiversity conservation, ecosystem restoration, climate change mitigation and adaptation.As drylands around the world are projected to . Scientists have studied only a small percentage of rainforest species in their search for cures. NbS have gained substantial attention in the academic literature recently as a potential approach for simultaneously tackling environmental issues and addressing societal challenges. If you have questions about how to cite anything on our website in your project or classroom presentation, please contact your teacher. Protected areas (PA) that lead to biodiversity conservation and climate mitigation benefits could represent a cost-effective nature-based solution (Mackinnon, Mrema, Richardson, Cooper, & Gidda, 2021), (Roberts, OLeary, & Hawkins, 2020). Adapted from (IUCN, 2020). Biome is another name for a distinct type of ecosystem. California has the most imperilled biodiversity of any state in the contiguous United States. How urban centers across the globe help boost biodiversity. Hence option B is correct. (Human beings have about 25,000 genes, while rice has more than 56,000.) 3). https://www.cbd.int/pa/doc/dossiers/uzbekistan-abt11-country-dossier2021.pdf, Chausson A, Turner B, Seddon D, Chabaneix N, Girardin CA, Kapos V, Seddon N (2020) Mapping the effectiveness of nature-based solutions for climate change adaptation. As reported by Li et al. The audio, illustrations, photos, and videos are credited beneath the media asset, except for promotional images, which generally link to another page that contains the media credit. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-023-01822-z, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-023-01822-z. High niche diversity refers to the presence of multiple traits in the same or different species, which is a characteristic of ecosystems with a high biodiversity. Officials there have pledged to bring an additional 6 million acres under conservation, with goals that include protecting species and storing planet-warming carbon. Annotated List of Wetlands of International Importance: Uzbekistan. (2022b, April 17). The chart shows information about four ecosystems. The system is dynamic and thus offers a wide range of species. Today species are going extinct at an accelerated and dangerous rate because of non-natural environmental changes caused by human activities. First Aral sea basin program (ASBP-1). We highlight which NbS show the most promise in the Aral Sea region and conclude with a discussion of existing gaps in the literature on NbS in drylands, and opportunities for further research. Examples of species include blue whales, white-tailed deer, white pine trees, sunflowers, and microscopic bacteria that can't even be seen by the naked eye. This state-by-state analysis of U.S. biodiversity ranks all 50 states on several key biological characteristics, including diversity of species, endemism, levels of rarity and risk, and species already lost to extinction. Text on this page is printable and can be used according to our Terms of Service. According to Li et al. Part of Springer Nature. Scientists are interested in how much biodiversity there is on a global scale, given that there is still so much biodiversity to discover. Our future depends on it. Moreover, literature review explicitly revealed that wetland restoration in the Aral Sea basin has never been documented as a nature-based solution, nor has rangeland restoration been. In the long term, rehabilitation of degraded rangelands in the Aral Sea basin has a potential to improve livelihood options of local pastoralists. This in turn defines fish abundance and eventually impacts local biodiversity and livelihoods. Even when species are protected under federal or state laws, they are typically more vulnerable outside of lands that are managed to protect biodiversity, Dr. Hamilton said. Here, we systematically review the application of nature-based solutions in rural drylands around the world with all four types of aridity indices defined by the United Nations: dry sub-humid, semi-arid, arid and hyper arid areas (see Fig. But some genes within a species are different. Drylands cover over 45% of the global terrestrial area, and are home to nearly one-third of the global human population, 90% of which reside in developing countries (UNCCD, 2017), (IUCN, 2017), (Prvlie, 2016). For example, species with high genetic diversity and many populations that are adapted to a wide variety of conditions are more likely to be able to weather disturbances, disease, and climate change. https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16065. You cannot download interactives. Philosop Transac R SOC B-Biol Sci 375. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2019.0121, Schachtsiek T, Lamers JP, Khamzina A (2014) Early Survival and Growth of Six Afforestation Species on Abandoned Cropping Sites in Irrigated Drylands of the Aral Sea Basin. Private landowners may be reluctant to report them or allow surveys for fear of the restrictions that could follow if they are found. J Arid Land 11:114. The hard work of humansand natures resiliencecan help even the most endangered species climb back from the abyss. This article addresses the climate and biodiversity of one of Earth's most diverse and iconic biomes: the tropical . The white ferula mushroom, adelicacythat only grows on the Italian island of Sicily, helps decompose organic compounds such as plants. Desertification of rangelands in the study area has been ongoing due to the misuse of resources (mainly overgrazing), oil and gas exploration, climatic factors (reduced precipitation and droughts), overharvesting of fuel wood, unsustainable agricultural activities (Jiang, Jiapaer, Bao, Guo, & Ndayisaba, 2017), (Toderich, et al., 2013a), (Shaumarov, et al., 2012). Extinction is a natural part of life on Earth. On a much smaller scale, one can study biodiversity within a pond ecosystem or a neighborhood park. Biodiversity allows for ecosystems to adjust to disturbances like fires and floods. Summary: Amazonia represents the quintessence of biodiversity - the richest ecosystem on earth. It is clear that deeper research is needed in terms of the impact these ecosystem changes might have in the long term, as well as their self-sustaining capacities, and the timespan it takes to balance out the investments and the potential benefits. Pollution. 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According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), globally about one third of all known species are threatened with extinction. This site is using cookies under cookie policy . Arid Land Res Manag 28:410427. For example, the grass in pastures feeds cattle. To identify concentrations of imperiled biodiversity, the scientists created models for more than 2,200 species based on where they are known to exist and their habitat needs. https://doi.org/10.1002/ldr.2329, FAO (2019) Trees, Forests and Land Use in Drylands: the First Global Assessment Full report. However, the long-term impact of drainage water, most importantly its quality, on the biodiversity of wetlands does not seem to have been thoroughly examined to tell whether the approach can be justified. list the steps that are followed if a suspect's blood is found at a crime scene. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00343-018-8189-z, Article https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15310, Cohen-Shacham E, Andrade A, Dalton J, Dudley N, Jones M, Kumar C, Walters G (2019) Core principles for successfully implementing and upscaling Nature-based Solutions. More than one-third of U.S. fish and wildlife species are at risk of extinction in the coming decades. We consequently include it as a type of nature-based solution in this review. At the highest level, one can look at all the different species on the entire Earth. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecoleng.2017.07.012, Toderich KN, Shuyskaya EV, Rajabov TF, Ismail S, Shaumarov M, Yoshiko K, Li EV (2013a) Uzbekistan: Rehabilitation of desert rangelands affected by salinity, to improve food security, combat desertification and maintain the natural resource base. South Ustyurt National ParkFootnote 5 total area: 14471.43km2, year of designation: 2020. Along with a newly formed desert ecosystem, the desiccation has brought about a number of environmental, social and economic challenges to the region, impacting millions of people residing in the Aral Sea basin (Lemly, Kingsford, & Thompson, 2000). The Rights Holder for media is the person or group credited. Biodiversityrefers to all the different kinds of living organisms within a given area. The research, published in the journal Ecological Applications, and the related maps were a partnership between NatureServe and its network of state partners, the geographic mapping platform Esri, and the Nature Conservancy. If we do not stop the threats to biodiversity, we could be facing another mass extinction with dire consequences to the environment, and human health and livelihood. During dry years these wetlands tend to almost dry out (Schlter, et al., 2013). Annotated List of Wetlands of International Importance: Uzbekistan. Our review of nature-based solutions in rural dryland ecosystems returned a limited number of case studies of actual NbS application; particularly those that described specific outcomes and lessons learned, demonstrated success and socio-economic benefits, and sustained results. Some scientists estimate that half of all species on Earth will be wiped out within the next century. Overuse of natural resources. PAs can perform multiple functions and encompass several NbS approaches with respect to the ecosystem services they represent (see Table 1 for a list of services provided by PAs). Core criteria of NbS. Department of Biology, University of Oxford, 11a Mansfield Road, OX1 3SZ, Oxford, UK, Shahzoda Alikhanova&Joseph William Bull, You can also search for this author in Water-Based Ecosystems We can break water-based ecosystems into three categories. A water ecosystem with high niche diversity and warm water temperatures will likely have a high biodiversity. Looking at samples of soil or water through a microscope reveals a whole world of bacteria and other tiny organisms. FLA. Rivers and streams . For instance, local residents in Muynak region of Karakalpakstan get hired by the State Forestry Committee to collect the seeds of saxaul plants on a seasonal basis. Sustain Sci 15:12551266. rep., United Nations Environment Assembly of the United Nations Environment Programme. World of Biology. Available at: https://www.protectedplanet.net/555703562, UNEP-WCMC (2023) Protected Area Profile for Sudochye-Akpetki State Wildlife Sanctuary from the World Database on Protected Areas. By highlighting areas where land is permanently protected for biodiversity, in green below, you can see where the habitats of imperiled species are outside of conservation zones. Sci Total Environ 784. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.147058, Lamers JP, Bobojonov I, Khamzina A, Franz JS (2008) Financial analysis of small-scale forests in the amu darya lowlands of rural uzbekistan. Australia is one of 17 megadiverse countries globally, with many plants, animals and ecosystems found nowhere . https://doi.org/10.1080/15324982.2018.1496187, Mills AJ, Tan D, Manji AK, Vijitpan T, Henriette E, Murugaiyan P, Lister J (2020) Ecosystem-based adaptation to climate change: Lessons learned from a pioneering project spanning Mauritania, Nepal, the Seychelles, and China. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10457-005-4677-1, Kim J, Song C, Lee S, Jo H-W, Park E, Yu H, Lee W-K (2020) Identifying potential vegetation establishment areas on the dried Aral Sea floor using satellite images. Other than adding vocabulary, what developments occur in That includes 29 percent of all amphibians, 21 percent of all mammals, and 12 percent of all birds. o adaptive immune system https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15645, CBD-UNDP (2021). Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative, Over 10 million scientific documents at your fingertips, Not logged in B) A large area of a forest will likely have higher biodiversity than a smaller area of the same forest. Rangeland/grassland restoration can reduce net soil CO2 emissions, conserve biodiversity, soil and water resources (Abdalla, Mutema, Chivenge, Everson, & Chaplot, 2022), (Li, Chen, Zhang, & Pan, 2019), and thus have a climate mitigating factor. Alikhanova, S., Bull, J.W. They include everything from cleaning water and absorbing chemicals, which wetlands do, to providing oxygen for us to breatheone of the many things that plants do for people. Uniting all Americans to ensure wildlife thrive in a rapidly changing world, Inspire a lifelong connection with wildlife and wild places through our children's publications, products, and activities, National Wildlife Federation is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.