Climate change and biodiversity loss are expected to simultaneously affect ecosystems, however research on how each driver mediates the effect of the other has been limited in scope. The multiple stressor framework emphasizes non-additive effects, but biodiversity may also buffer the effects of climate change, and climate change may alter which mechanisms underlie biodiversity-function relationships. Here, we performed an experiment using tank bromeliad ecosystems to test the various ways that rainfall changes and litter diversity may jointly determine ecological processes. Litter diversity and rainfall changes interactively affected multiple functions, but how depends on the process measured. High litter diversity buffered the effects of altered rainfall on detritivore communities, evidence of insurance against impacts of climate change. Altered rainfall affected the mechanisms by which litter diversity influenced decomposition, reducing the importance of complementary attributes of species (complementarity effects), and resulting in an increasing dependence on the maintenance of specific species (dominance effects). Finally, altered rainfall conditions prevented litter diversity from fueling methanogenesis, because such changes in rainfall reduced microbial activity by 58%. Together, these results demonstrate that the effects of climate change and biodiversity loss on ecosystems cannot be understood in isolation and interactions between these stressors can be multifaceted.© 2018 by the Ecological Society of America.

\n Introduction:\n  Biodiversity and biodiversity-based ecosystems services are intrinsically dependent on the climate. During the twentieth century, climate change has posed major threats to biodiversity in Africa, and impacts are expected to increase as climate change continues and perhaps even accelerates.\n Outcomes:\n Our review shows that the multiple components of climate change are projected to affect all levels of biodiversity, from genes over species to biome level. Loss of biodiversity as a result of climate change can alter the structures and functions of African ecological systems. As a result, the provision of biodiversity-based ecosystem services and the well-being of people that rely on these services are being modified. Of particular concerns are “tipping points” where the exceedance of ecosystem thresholds will possibly lead to irreversible shifts of the structure of ecosystems and their services. In recent years, climate prediction models have portended continued warming and more frequent extreme weather events across the region. Such weather-related disturbances such as El Niño will place a premium on biodiversity and biodiversity-based ecosystem services that people rely on.\n Conclusion:\n As biodiversity underlies all goods and services provided by ecosystems that are crucial for human survival and well-being, this paper synthesizes and discusses observed and anticipated impacts of climate change on biodiversity and biodiversity-based ecosystem service provision and livelihoods, and what strategies might be employed to decrease current and future risks on the well-being of human in Africa.\n

Recently, the issue of biodiversity and climate change is becoming a focus of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and parties to the convention have carried out heavy multilateral negotiations on the issue. This paper reviews the background pertaining to biodiversity and climate change, discusses the disputes and standpoints of major parties, and highlights two opposing groups: the developed countries rep-resented by the European Union (EU), and the mega-diversity developing countries represented by Brazil, Columbia and China. The main disputes of the negotiations include: (i) Expansion of the climate change con-cept: EU nations hope to expand consideration of climate change and integrate it into various issues within the CBD, and to promote synergy among three Rio Conventions (Convention on Biological Diversity, United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and United Nations Convention to Combat Desertifica-tion). However, the developing countries are more leery of these tendencies. (ii) Geoengineering and ocean fertilization: EU suggests forbidding geoengineering and establishing a global management framework, whereas the developing countries suggest applying the “precautionary principle” to these issues. (iii) Reduc-ing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD): EU urges development of “Biodiversity Safeguards” for REDD, while the developing countries oppose this proposal. We surmise that the main rea-son for these debates is that the developing countries are afraid of being restricted by the EU and related de-veloped countries, and that these debates will become more fierce in the future. In the end, we proposes some strategies for debate resolution: (i) strengthen communication and coordination of relevant domestic agen-cies; (ii) summarize and propagandize successful practices and experiences in the area of climate change in China; and (iii) improve research on REDD mechanisms.

近年来, 生物多样性与气候变化的关系逐渐成为《生物多样性公约》下的焦点议题, 各缔约方就此问题展开了激烈的多边谈判。本文梳理了《生物多样性公约》下气候变化问题谈判的发展历程, 探讨了其中的焦点问题及各方的主要立场, 指出以欧盟为代表的发达国家和以巴西、哥伦比亚、中国为代表的发展中生物多样性大国是针锋相对的两大主要谈判集团。谈判焦点问题主要包括: (1)气候变化问题的扩大化。欧盟希望将气候变化问题扩大化, 使其全面渗透到《生物多样性公约》下的各议题中, 并促进《生物多样性公约》、《联合国气候变化框架公约》和《联合国防治荒漠化公约》(简称里约三公约)之间的联合; 而发展中国家对此比较谨慎和保守。(2)地球工程(geoengineering)和海洋施肥(ocean fertilization)。欧盟提出全面禁止地球工程, 并建立全球管制框架; 而发展中国家认为可遵循“预先防范”原则。(3)减少森林砍伐和森林退化的碳排放机制。欧盟要求为该机制建立“生物多样性保障”制度, 而发展中国家表示反对。两大集团产生分歧的原因主要是发展中国家担心欧盟的快速推进会使自己将来受到制约, 这也反映了在环境领域发达国家和发展中国家之间的固有矛盾, 而这种矛盾未来还会继续深化。本文最后还就我国的应对策略和工作方向提出了建议: (1)要加强国内相关主管部门之间的沟通与协调; (2)要总结和宣传我国在气候变化领域成功的做法和经验; (3)要加强对减少森林砍伐和森林退化的碳排放机制的研究。

Internationally, there are a series of conventions (including treaties and agreements) related to biodiversity conservation, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), and the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance Especially as Waterfowl Habitat (Ramsar Convention). At the international level, these are implemented by different United Nation’s organizations and at the national level by various responding ministries. In China, the leading authorities for implementing the biodiversity-related conventions are the ministries of environmental protection, forestry, agriculture, etc. However, there is very little communication and coordination among the leading ministries for participation in international negotiations and domestic implementation, resulting in the inconformity of external policies and repetition of internal implementation actions. In this paper, the explicit relations between the conventions’ objectives and biodiversity conservation are clarified, and based on existing domestic coordination mechanisms for each convention implementation in China, the current mechanism is to establish a multi-ministerial coordination committee coupled with an administrative body for actions set in the responsible ministry. Furthermore, the problems often existing in the convention implementation are revealed as follows: (1) shortage of communication and coordination among the competent authorities leading conventions’ implementation; (2) lack of information sharing mechanism among the relevant ministries; and (3) inadequate mutual support from the partner ministries. Finally, it is proposed, in this paper, to establish a synergy strategy at the national level for implementation of the conventions related to biodiversity, including setting up a synergy working group special for coordinating the state positions for the conventions’ intergovernmental negotiations on biodiversity issues and for enhancing the efficiency of the implementation actions by integrating the efforts from relevant ministries, as well as establishment of national clearing-house mechanism for biodiversity.

目前国际层面已有多个与生物多样性保护有关的多边公约(包括条约和协定), 如《生物多样性公约》、《濒危动植物种国际贸易公约》、《湿地公约》等。本文基于相关国际公约的既有战略目标, 分析了这些战略目标与保护生物多样性之间的关系。这些公约的实施在国际层面是由联合国的不同机构负责, 在国家层次也是由不同的政府部门来牵头。在中国, 生物多样性相关公约的履行机构主要有环境保护、林业、农业等多个政府主管部门。我国现有履约机制的模式是针对某一公约建立一个多部门的履约协调委员会, 并在牵头部门建立一个行政办事机构。履约工作中常见的问题有: 各履约机构在参与公约国际谈判和开展国内履约工作中因缺少沟通和协调, 造成对外政策不一致、对内工作重复的现象; 部门间缺少信息共享机制, 甚至相互不提供数据。最后, 作者建议在国家层次上建立生物多样性国际履约的协同战略, 包括为协调生物多样性议题的国际谈判立场而建立协同工作组, 为增强国家履约效率而综合各部门履约行动, 以及建立国家生物多样性信息交换机制等。