Once again people are the cause of species dying off
Mountain gorilla: This is a species that should be an example of how to survive climate change. They eat 140 different species of plant and so can survive a lot of change. But their Central Africa range has been overrun by human settlements, with only 800 gorilla now left in the wild. As climate change and population growth puts more pressure on these settlements, projections are that hunting will increase and the gorillas’ habitat will be cleared for agriculture.
African elephant: Elephants are found in nearly 40 countries on the continent. They have adapted well to a variety of conditions: they eat many different plant species and live in both wet and arid conditions. But they need 300 litres of water a day to survive and their reproduction is linked to rainfall.
Populations in Central Africa — where more rain means they should be safe from the worst of climate change — are being decimated by poaching, their safer strongholds in Southern Africa will become inhospitable as temperatures rise and drought years increase.
Giraffe: Numbers have dropped by 40% in the past 30 years, according to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) latest “red list” of endangered species. The drop in numbers by 60 000 giraffe means they are now listed as vulnerable.
The IUCN blames habitat loss caused by farming and deforestation, as well as hunting for meat during armed conflict. Their demise is a study in how the less valuable a species is for tourism, the harder it is for governments to justify their survival.
Cheetah: Population levels have dropped 30% to 7 500 in the past 40 years. They used to range the continent but have been hemmed into small areas as human settlements expand. Cattle, sheep and goats are valuable to farmers — and cheetah are seen as a threat.
Cheetah now have to survive in wildlife reserves, where they must compete with lion and hyena for food.
But a warming planet is hampering their chances of survival. Their speed means they can get to prey quickly but they overheat rapidly and then struggle to defend their catch from other predators. They also do not run when temperatures pass 50°C, a temperature that will become increasingly normal in places such as the Kruger National Park.