Possums in Peril: The Urgent Need to Address Climate Change Impacts on Tropical Montane Species
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Abstract - Even in our most protected havens, the relentless pace of climate change poses a grave threat. In mountain ecosystems such as the Australian Wet Tropics, the struggle against climate change is an uphill battle. Rising temperatures force ringtail possums higher up the mountains in search of cooler climates. However, the climbing race becomes particularly challenging for species already living near the mountaintops, such as the ringtail possums of the Wet Tropics, leaving them with nowhere to escape the impacts of climate change. Today, ringtail possums persist in critical numbers at high elevations, standing on the brink of survival.