Home Database Indicators Distribution and abundance of animal species
Website experience degraded
The European Climate and Health Observatory is undergoing reconstruction until June 2024 to improve its performance. We apologise for any possible disturbance to the content and functionality of the platform.
Indicator

Distribution and abundance of animal species

This object has been archived because its content is outdated. You can still access it as legacy

Description

  • Observed climate change is having significant impacts on European fauna. These impacts include range shifts as well as local and regional extinctions of species.
  • There is a clear poleward trend of butterfly distributions from 1990 to 2007 in Europe. Nevertheless, the migration of many species is lagging behind the changes in climate, suggesting that they are unable to keep pace with the speed of climate change.
  • Distribution changes are projected to continue. Suitable climatic conditions for Europe’s breeding birds are projected to shift nearly 550 km north-east by the end of the 21st century under a scenario of 3 °C warming, with the average range size shrinking by 20 %.
  • Habitat use and fragmentation and other obstacles are impeding the migration of many animal species. The difference between required and actual migration rate may lead to a progressive decline in European biodiversity.

Reference information

Source:
EEA - Climate change, impacts and vulnerability in Europe 2012 report

Published in Climate-ADAPT Jun 07 2016   -   Last Modified in Climate-ADAPT Dec 12 2023

Reviewed by:

tibi

Keywords:

CLIM024, amphibian species, animal biodiversity, bird, distribution, north/upward shift, population, reptile

Climate impacts:

Adaptation elements:

Observations and Scenarios

Sectors

Biodiversity

Geographic characterization:

Global

Document Actions