Wildlife Society Calls for Cuts in Global Warming Pollution

Bethesda, Md. (March 18) - The Wildlife Society this week adopted a policy calling for the reduction of greenhouse gas pollution among the measures needed to confront global climate change.

The group's action follows on its recently released scientific review documenting the already known and likely impacts of climate change on wildlife in the future.

"Global climate change is real and it poses a serious threat to wildlife in North America," said Tom Franklin, acting executive director of The Wildlife Society, based in Bethesda, Md. "Science compels us to take aggressive steps to address it."

Comprised of 9,000 wildlife biologists, researchers and managers, The Wildlife Society is considered the leading organization of wildlife professionals in North America.

At its Council meeting in Bethesda, Maryland, The Wildlife Society adopted a nine-point policy addressing global climate change. Number one on the list is to encourage the global reduction in human-caused sources of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to global climate change, and to conserve plants, which consume carbon dioxide.

"Wildlife managers are on the frontline helping to protect wildlife and habitats most vulnerable to the rapid changes occurring all around us," said Douglas Inkley, senior science advisor for the National Wildlife Federation and chair of The Wildlife Society's global climate change technical review committee. "Wildlife professionals recognize global climate change as one of the most significant threats to wildlife. By formally adopting a proactive policy to combat it, The Wildlife Society is now a leader in applying solutions that give wildlife species a fighting chance to survive an unprecedented shift in climate in the coming decades."

The Wildlife Society's scientific assessment Global Climate Change and Wildlife in North America concluded that the geographic ranges of plant communities and wildlife species in North America will likely move northward (or upward, for mountain species) as temperatures increase. The report was based on a two-year, comprehensive review of existing global climate change research in North America.

"The critical issue is no longer "if" climate change is occurring, but rather how to address its effects on wildlife and wildlife habitats," The Wildlife Society states in its policy. ".evidence is accumulating that wildlife and wildlife habitats have been and will continue to be significantly affected by ongoing large-scale rapid climate change."

Larry Schweiger, president and CEO of the National Wildlife Federation, praised The Wildlife Society's policy, noting the group's influence among wildlife professionals.

"We can't fight this battle alone, and it is critical that everyone involved in wildlife protection and management understand the urgency of the issue. I applaud The Wildlife Society for taking a proactive approach to solving the problem. Our children are counting on all of us to take steps today that cut global warming pollution and conserve critical habitat in order to protect the wildlife inheritance that is rightly theirs."

The National Wildlife Federation is America's conservation organization protecting wildlife for our children's future.



For a copy of The Wildlife Society's policy statement, go to www.nwf.org/news or www.wildlife.org.


Immediate Release: March 18, 2005

Contacts:

Christine Dorsey - 202-979-6806, dorsey@nwf.org

Tom Franklin, The Wildlife Society, 301-897-9770, tom@wildlife.org

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