Effect of Climate Change on Tropical Dry Forests

Abstract

Around 1.6 billion people in the world are directly dependent on forests for food, fodder, fuel, shelter, and livelihood, out of which 60 million are entirely dependent on forests. Forests silently provide us with ecosystem services such as climate regulation, carbon sequestration, harbouring biodiversity, synchronizing nutrient cycling, and many more. Tropical Dry Forests (TDF's) occupy around 42% of total forest area of the tropics and subtropics and facilitate sustenance of world's marginalized populations. Change in vegetation composition and distribution, deflected succession, carbon sequestration potential, nutrient cycling and symbiotic associations would affect TDF at ecosystem level. At species level, climate change will impact photosynthesis, phenology, physiognomy, seed germination, and temperature-sensitive physiological processes. In order to mitigate the effects of climate change, specific mitigation and adaptation strategies are required for TDF that need to be designed with concerted efforts from scientists, policy makers and local stakeholders.