Conserving Giraffe in a Climate Changed World

Harris, Eleanor Rose (2025) Conserving Giraffe in a Climate Changed World. Doctoral thesis, University of East Anglia.

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Abstract

Giraffe have faced large population declines over recent decades. As global temperatures rise, conservation actions increasingly need to account for projections of climate change impacts. Previously classed as one species, taxonomic updates categorise giraffe into four distinct species, with potential implications for conservation management. This thesis examined the exposure and projected impact of climate change on each species of giraffe, investigating the impact of projected changes in mean climate, extreme events, and non-climatic anthropogenic impacts. An initial analysis of projected climatic changes revealed consistent warming trends across all species’ and subspecies’ ranges, with more variable trends in precipitation. Novel climates are projected to emerge in most current giraffe geographic ranges under higher global warming levels. Species distribution models (SDMs), developed to project areas of suitable climate at global warming levels up to 3.6°C above pre-industrial levels, showed large decreases in suitable range under increasing global warming for each species. All species are projected to retain at least 24% of their current geographic range as areas of climate refugia at the highest warming level. Climate suitability projections were then integrated with projections of other ecological and anthropogenic pressures to spatially prioritise conservation areas using Zonation software. This analysis revealed key areas of stability or vulnerability, highlighting regions where increased adaptation or protection efforts are needed, particularly where protected areas are absent. These outputs were made available to conservationists (e.g., the Giraffe Conservation Foundation) through GiraffeClim, a user-friendly web application designed to support real-time, climate-informed decision-making. The research outputs were discussed in the context of publicly available giraffe conservation action plans, highlighting key climate-change threats and potential conservation actions for each species and subspecies of giraffe. This thesis provides a climate-resilient conservation guide for giraffe, offering both strategic insights and actionable tools to support long-term species persistence under global change.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Science > School of Environmental Sciences
Depositing User:	Chris White
Date Deposited:	04 Mar 2026 09:41
Last Modified:	04 Mar 2026 09:41
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/102159
DOI:

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