African wildlife, coasts suffer effects of flooding, drought

By WANJOHI KABUKURU
Associated Press

MOMBASA, Kenya (AP) — Devastating floods in South Africa this week, as well as other extreme weather events across the continent linked to human-caused climate change, are putting marine and terrestrial wildlife species at risk, according to biodiversity experts. Africa has already been inflicted with several climate-related woes in the past year. Conservation and wildlife groups say it’s critical to protect species from these climate change-related weather events, which will also have detrimental effects for the human populations that live alongside them. But researchers say that if restrictions for protected areas are followed, some of the worst consequences of climate change can be avoided.