C08.03 Biogeography and Biodiversity

Session: Climate Change and Land Use Effects on Species, Communities and Ecosystems: Indian Subcontinent and the Himalayas

Chair(s): Udo Schickhoff & R.B. Singh

Abstract:
Humans have managed and transformed the landscapes of the Indian subcontinent and the Himalayas for millennia. The increase in population and the intensification of land use has resulted in profound alterations of ecosystems and species assemblages. E.g., the growing demand for cultivable and pasture land as well as for timber and firewood led to an extensive clearing of forest areas. Only more or less transformed remnants of the original forest cover are left in the present-day cultural landscape. Plant species richness has been reduced over wide areas, and novel species assemblages have emerged. In addition, significant changes in biological systems are occurring as a response to anthropogenic climate change, including shifts in spring events, species distributions, and community structure. This session addresses various aspects of climate change and land use effects on species, communities and ecosystems in the Indian subcontinent and the Himalayas. New advances in research on climate change and land use biogeography will be presented. The session focuses on descriptions and understanding of past and current climate with the regard to different spatial scales. The objectives are to identify climate change indicators from the global perspective towards the local level encompassing time scales ranging from short-term climate variations of a season or less to longer term climate changes occurring over decades to centuries.

Timeslots: 1