Contact: , Director of Public Relations, American Bird Conservancy, 202/234-7181 ext. 216

IPCC Report: Global Warming Threatens Many Bird Species with Extinction

Protecting Forest Habitats an Important Part of the Global Warming Solution Scientists Say

Global warming threatens many bird species with extinction due to climatic changes and the loss of the habitats they depend on for survival according to the report Climate Change 2007: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability released today. The analysis by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) also found that an important way to mitigate the impacts of global warming is to protect existing forest and grassland and wetland habitats, which store carbon and provide essential habitat for imperiled wildlife.

"Two of Earth's most serious environmental problems, global warming and the loss of species, have a common solution: stopping the loss of Earth's forests and other natural carbon fixing habitats," said George Fenwick, President of American Bird Conservancy. "Fully 20% of greenhouse gas emissions result from deforestation."

The IPCC report found that between 20 to 30 percent of all species are threatened by an increased risk of extinction if average temperatures increase more than 1.5-2.5°C. For example, the U.S. administers some of the most diverse seabird colonies in the world in the Northwest Hawaiian Islands and Remote Pacific Islands National Wildlife Refuge Complex. Many of the sites will disappear with sea level rise.

The by-product of a global program to reduce greenhouse emissions through forest conservation would be the protection of large numbers of Earth's threatened species as well as the preservation of ecosystem services such as watersheds, and potentially, the generation of significant new revenue from carbon sequestration to help alleviate poverty in developing nations. "Avoided deforestation", in which payments are provided to countries or projects that protect existing forest, can be financed by carbon taxes, a global trust fund, or by carbon credits purchased by polluters to offset emissions. Congress is now considering global warming legislation that includes provisions to encourage storing carbon in forests and other habitats.

"Wildlife will be negatively affected by some of the proposed solutions to the global warming challenge," said Fenwick. "Biofuel production from corn and wind turbines require careful thought and planning to ensure that endangered birds and other species are not put at additional risk."

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American Bird Conservancy is the only 501(c)(3) organization that works solely to conserve native wild birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. ABC acts to safeguard the rarest bird species, restore habitats, and reduce threats, while building capacity in the conservation movement. ABC is the voice for birds, ensuring that they are adequately protected; that sufficient funding is available for bird conservation; and that land is protected and properly managed to maintain viable habitat. ABC is a membership organization that is consistently awarded a top, four-star rating by the independent group Charity Navigator.