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Expert-based assessment of the climate change vulnerability of amphibians and reptiles of Uruguay

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 October 2022

Pablo Vaz-Canosa Open the ORCID record for Pablo Vaz-Canosa [Opens in a new window] ,
Gabriel Laufer Open the ORCID record for Gabriel Laufer [Opens in a new window] ,
Claudio Borteiro Open the ORCID record for Claudio Borteiro [Opens in a new window] ,
Diego Baldo Open the ORCID record for Diego Baldo [Opens in a new window] ,
Carlos Prigioni  and
Alvaro Soutullo Open the ORCID record for Alvaro Soutullo [Opens in a new window]
Pablo Vaz-Canosa*
Affiliation:
Vida Silvestre Uruguay, Canelones 1198, Montevideo, Uruguay Departamento de Ecología y Gestión Ambiental, Centro Universitario Regional del Este, Universidad de la República, Tacuarembó and Av. Artigas, Maldonado, Uruguay
Gabriel Laufer
Affiliation:
Vida Silvestre Uruguay, Canelones 1198, Montevideo, Uruguay Área Biodiversidad y Conservación, Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, Ministerio de Educación y Cultura (MEC), 25 de Mayo 582, Montevideo, Uruguay
Claudio Borteiro
Affiliation:
Sección Herpetología, Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, Ministerio de Educación y Cultura (MEC), 25 de Mayo 582, Montevideo, Uruguay
Diego Baldo
Affiliation:
Laboratorio de Genética Evolutiva, Instituto de Biología Subtropical (CONICET-UNaM), Facultad de Ciencias Exactas Químicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Misiones, Félix de Azara 1552, Posadas, Argentina
Carlos Prigioni
Affiliation:
Sección Herpetología, Museo Nacional de Historia Natural, Ministerio de Educación y Cultura (MEC), 25 de Mayo 582, Montevideo, Uruguay
Alvaro Soutullo
Affiliation:
Departamento de Ecología y Gestión Ambiental, Centro Universitario Regional del Este, Universidad de la República, Tacuarembó and Av. Artigas, Maldonado, Uruguay
*
Author for correspondence: Pablo Vaz-Canosa MSc, Email: p.vazcanosa@gmail.com
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Summary

Climate change (CC) is a major threat to biodiversity, increasing species extinction risk. Assessments of its possible impacts on species are crucial for designing conservation strategies. Here, we adjusted a global trait-based approach to the national level and apply it to Uruguay (South America) to evaluate the CC vulnerability of its herpetofauna. A total of 112 species were assessed in a scenario of CC projections for 2050 with regard to three dimensions of vulnerability: sensitivity, low adaptive capacity and exposure. We conducted the assessment through an expert elicitation process based on the Delphi method. We found that most local species (64.6% amphibians; 100% reptiles) were highly sensitive to CC. Among them, seven amphibians (14.6%) and seven reptiles (10.9%) were identified as highly vulnerable to CC. Important gaps in the life-history traits of the species were found that should guide future research. The structured expert consultation process allowed us to gather more and better information than if it had only been based on published sources. Our study identified challenges associated with changing the scale from global to national that might be used for similar assessments in other countries.

Keywords

adaptabilityclimate changeexpert elicitationexposureherpetofaunasensitivity
Type
Research Paper
Information
Environmental Conservation , Volume 50 , Issue 1 , March 2023 , pp. 12 - 21
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of Foundation for Environmental Conservation

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