The impact of climate change on the distribution and diversity of desiccation-tolerant vascular plants in West Africa
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Background and aims
Climate change affects global biodiversity, and species such as desiccation-tolerant vascular plants (DT plants) remain largely neglected in conservation objectives and individual initiatives, West Africa is no exception. Our study aims to assess the impact of climate change on DT plant distribution and diversity in West Africa.
Material and methods
In this study, we use all DT plants described to West Africa and their occurrences, and employ species distribution models to depict changes in their distribution and diversity when comparing present and future climate change conditions.
Key results
We identified a consistent contraction of DT plants’ distribution ranges and a significant shrinkage of their centres of diversity and endemism.
Conclusion It is imperative that future research and on-the-ground conservation efforts should focus on species-specific conservation needs, including closely monitoring DT species with small distribution ranges and assessing the conservation requirements of DT species with broad distribution ranges. It should also be stressed the urgency of integrating climate projections into the conservation planning of DT plants worldwide to ensure that effective conservation strategies include the expansion of protected areas specifically designed to improve stewardship of conserved DT plants.