How will boreal forests be affected?
The main vegetation zones in the Arctic are polar deserts in the north, boreal forests in the south, and a wide expanse of tundra in-between. Polar deserts are characterized by open patches of bare ground and an absence of even the smallest woody shrubs, whereas tundra is characterized by low shrub vegetation. Climate change is expected to cause the northward expansion of forests into the Arctic tundra, and of tundra into polar deserts. Such changes are likely to take place this century in areas where suitable soils and other conditions exist. This is expected to result in the area of tundra becoming smaller than it has ever been during the past 21 000 years, reducing the breeding area for many birds and the grazing areas for certain land animals. The total number of species in the Arctic is projected to increase under a warmer climate due to migration of species from the south. Many of the adaptations that enable plants and animals to survive in the Arctic environment also limit their
