Study predicts decreasing brown bear habitat due to climate change
![Credit: CC0 Public Domain brown bear](https://scx1.b-cdn.net/csz/news/800a/2017/brownbear.jpg)
A recent analysis of data related to the brown bear (Ursus arctos) estimates that suitable habitat will be reduced by 11 percent across Central Asia and the Asian Highlands by 2050 due to climate change, predominantly due to the changes in temperature and precipitation.
The findings are published in Ecology and Evolution.
Future loss of suitable habitats inside protected areas may force brown bears to move outside these areas. Therefore, more protected areas should be established in suitable brown bear habitats, and "corridors" are needed to connect habitats between protected areas of different countries in Central Asia.
More information: Junhu Su et al, Decreasing brown bear (Ursus arctos ) habitat due to climate change in Central Asia and the Asian Highlands, Ecology and Evolution (2018). DOI: 10.1002/ece3.4645
Journal information: Ecology and Evolution
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