New Australian map to enhance conservation of species in ice-free Antarctica

Sydney, Jan 29 (IANS) Australian researchers have created a new detailed map of Antarctica's ice-free land that they say will help protect the continent's biodiversity.

The team, led by researchers from the University of New South Wales (UNSW) Sydney, unveiled the new high-resolution map on Wednesday as well as a hierarchical classification system of the ecosystems in ice-free Antarctica.

According to the study, permanently ice-free land covers less than 0.5 per cent of Antarctica, but its ecosystems contain the vast majority of the continent's biodiversity and are facing a growing threat from human activity and climate change.

Aniko Toth, lead author of the new research from UNSW, said that Antarctic ice-free lands are home to uniquely adapted flora, several species of arthropods, microbes and to breeding colonies of penguins, gulls, albatrosses and other seabirds.

She said that as the climate changes and ice melts, the patches of land will become milder and less isolated -- enabling colonization by species from lower latitudes, Xinhua news agency reported.

"It's the opposite problem that many conventional ecosystems face today. Instead of fragmentation and loss of area, ice-free patches will become larger and more interconnected," she said in a media release.

"This could completely change the dynamics and resident species of these ecosystems, whose distinctiveness is often founded on isolation."

Researchers said that the classification system, which categorizes the ecosystems into nine major units, 33 habitat complexes and 269 bioregional ecosystem types, will allow for systematic risk assessments, strategic placement of new protected areas and monitoring of conservation goals.

Senior author David Keith described the map and classification as a transformative leap forward in understanding Antarctic ecosystems.

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