At a Glance

Up to a quarter of all wildlife may perish in certain forests by 2100, even if countries meet the goals of the Paris Accord.If temperatures reach 4.5 degrees Celsius above pre-Industrialized levels by 2100, half of all wildlife will become locally extinct.

Global warming could result in a catastrophic loss of plants and wildlife from the world's most naturally richforests even if countries meet the goals set by the Paris Accord, a new study says.

Published Wednesday in the journal Climate Change, the study conducted bythe World Wildlife Fund, the University of East Anglia and the James Cook University found that even if countries keep the global temperature to 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels per the Paris Accord, 35 of theworld's most biodiverse forests, like the Amazon and the Galápagoss, couldstill lose.

“Hotter days, longer periods of drought and more intense storms are becoming the new normal, and species around the world are already feeling the effects,” Nikhil Advani, lead specialist for climate, communities, and wildlife at WWF, . “While we work to ratchet down emissions, it’s critical we also improve our understanding of species response to climate change and develop strategies to help them adapt.”

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Even more disturbing, the researchers found that if warming goes unabated to4.5 degrees Celsius above pre-Industrial levels or higher,half of all wildlife in the "hotspots" could be lost and 65 percent of plant life will perish by the turn of the century.

“Within our children’s lifetime, places like the Amazon and Galapagos Islands could become unrecognizable with ,” WWF CEO Tanya Steele saidin a press release. “Around the world, beautiful iconic animals like Amur tigers or Javan rhinos are at risk of disappearing, as well as tens of thousands of plants and smaller creatures that are the foundation of all life on Earth.”

While all corners of the world will be affected, some areas will likely be harder hit than others, the researchers found.

In the Miombo Woodlands in South Africa, up to 90 percent of amphibians, 86 percent of birds and 80 percent of mammals could potentially become locally extinct if temperatures surpass 4.5 degrees Celsius. In southwest Australia,89 percent of amphibians could become locally extinct while60 percent of all species are at risk of localized extinction in Madagascar.

The scientists noted that if species are able to move freely to new locations, the risk of localized extinction may decrease from 25 percent to 20 percent at the 2 degrees Celcius temperature rise.

Keeping global temperature rise as low as possible is the best way to protect animal and plant species, the scientists note.