Climate-driven animal mass mortality events (MMEs) will increase as the magnitude and frequency of extreme weather and climate events worsens due to climate change. Besides resulting in demographic catastrophes for affected species, MMEs adds further pressure to vulnerable ecosystems in several ways. We suggest the protection and restoration of resilient native scavenging guilds are key strategies to build climate-resilient ecosystems. Incorporating this nature-based solution into biodiversity conservation policies will ensure the efficient breakdown and recycling of carcasses back into the environment, and minimise risks of disease spillover to human and wildlife. Policy makers are urged to recognise scavengers as allies in mitigating the negative impacts of climate-driven MMEs on our ecosystems.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.