Forest
FAR2
Taxonomy Machine Name
niacs_strategy_far2
Taxonomy Alias
far2
Warming temperatures and changes in rainfall, now and into the future, are increasing the range of avian malaria to higher elevations, threatening numerous forest bird species.
Avian malaria is a primary factor in the decline of many Hawaiian forest birds, especially those of the family Fringillidae, such as the Hawaiian honeycreeper. Currently, high elevation forests are the only remaining refugia for some bird species, as avian malaria, and its associated vector, the southern house mosquito, is limited by temperature constraints.
Changes in mean annual rainfall (MAR) can lead to shifts in stream flow regimes in tropical watersheds, with impacts to aquatic organism habitat quality and downstream water supply.
Drier conditions with reduced groundwater recharge and stream discharge are expected in the future, as well as increased flow variability and instability. Projected declines in overall rainfall, increased magnitude of precipitation extremes (rainfall and drought), and increases in air and ocean temperatures are expected to contribute to changed stream flow regimes, including shifts in potential evapotranspiration, rates of infiltration, and onset and duration of surface runoff. Increased air temperatures and reductions in coastal precipitation have already reduced median base flow by 23%.