Conserving biodiversity in the face of rapid climate change requires a shift in priorities

Schlaepfer, Martin A.; Lawler, Joshua J.

doi:10.1002/wcc.798

Cited by 18 publications

(9 citation statements)

References 89 publications

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“…Ultimately, the exclusion of migrant populations does not serve conservation universally well and establishes narratives that mirror modern-day politics that demonize the redistribution of people ( 71 ). The challenge for conservation is to rise above historical valuations of belonging to find ways to promote safety for non-human life wherever it finds itself ( 34 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…While the concept of a native range is already fraught by ambiguities ( 4 ), this concern only escalates when organisms are no longer able to live in their historic distributions. For conservation policy to respond proactively, compassionately, and pragmatically to these changes, we must anticipate ways to value biodiversity in a time of species redistribution, both for species introduced by humans and those migrating on their own accord ( 34 ). Accounting for migrant species in conservation is not to dismiss potential conflicts with resident taxa but allows us to see the ecological processes and conservation opportunities flourishing in the increasingly novel environments of our time.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Preventing extinction in an age of species migration and planetary change

Lundgren,

Wallach,

Svenning

et al. 2023

Preprint

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International and national conservation policies almost exclusively focus on conserving species in their historic native ranges, thus excluding species that have dispersed on their own accord or have been introduced by people. Given that many of these "migrant" species are threatened in their native ranges, conservation goals that explicitly exclude these migrant populations may overlook opportunities to prevent extinctions and respond dynamically to rapidly changing environmental and climatic conditions. Focusing on terrestrial mammals, we quantified the extent to which migration, in this case via introductions, has provided new homes for threatened mammal species. We then devised alternative scenarios for the inclusion of migrant populations in mainstream conservation policy with the aim of preventing global species extinctions and used spatial prioritization algorithms to simulate how these scenarios could change global spatial conservation priorities. We found that 22% of all identified migrant mammals (70 species) are threatened in their native ranges, mirroring the 25% of all mammals that are threatened. Reassessing global threat statuses by combining native and migrant ranges reduced the threat status of 23 species (~33% of threatened migrants). Thus, including migrant populations in threat assessments provides a more accurate assessment of actual global extinction risk among species. Spatial prioritization simulations showed that reimagining the role of migrant populations to prevent global species extinction could increase the importance of overlooked landscapes, particularly in central Australia. Our results indicate that these various and non-exhaustive ways to consider migrant populations, with due consideration for potential conservation conflicts with resident taxa, may provide unprecedented opportunities to prevent species extinctions. We present these alternatives and spatial simulations to stimulate discussion on how conservation ought to respond, both pragmatically and ethically, to rapid environmental change in order to best prevent extinctions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Preventing extinction in an age of species migration and planetary change

Lundgren,

Wallach,

Svenning

et al. 2023

Preprint

Self Cite

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“…These high elevation, lower temperature areas must be considered potential climate refuges of significant relevance in the case of subtropical high montane Atlantic Forests, especially those located in the southern and eastern plains (Planalto Sul and Leste) in the state of Santa Catarina state, east of the state of Paraná, and those along the Serra Geral and Serra do Mar mountain ranges. However, for species and populations at risk of losing their natural habitat due to climate change, other measures should be considered such as rescue for ex situ conservation and assisted colonization (Schlaepfer and Lawler, 2022).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Subtropical high-montane forest climate refuges in Brazil

Santos

Silva

Higuchi

2023

Sci. agric. (Piracicaba, Braz.)

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Climate change represents one of the greatest threats to global biodiversity. We investigate how climate change will affect the future potential distribution of tree species in subtropical high montane habitats in the Atlantic Forest and identify potential climate refuges for these species. The most frequent and exclusive species in this ecosystem were selected and geographic coordinates were compiled. The maximum entropy algorithm was used for climatic niche modeling. Two scenarios for 2061-2080 were considered for future predictions, one low impact (RCP 4.5) and one high impact (RCP 8.5). Isothermality, mean temperature in the driest quarter, mean temperature in the hottest quarter, rainfall in the driest month, and rainfall in the hottest quarter were the variables that best explained the climatic niche of the majority of species. The areas of potential species occurrence were reduced by 48.37 % (± 13.63 %) (RCP 4.5) and 62.49 % (± 21.87 %) (RCP 8.5) on average. The potential area of Crinodendron brasilense Reitz & L.B.Sm. decreased the most, by 82.11 % (RCP 4.5) and 90.06 % (RCP 8.5), respectively. High elevation areas in the south of Brazil were identified as priorities for conservation to ensure that climate refuges for high montane forest species are maintained in the future. Climate change events may significantly affect the species evaluated in this study.

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“…Our adaptation planning framework addresses these issues and aligns broadly with proposals for biodiversity adaptation (e.g. Mawdsley et al 2009;Kittel 2013;Gross et al 2016;Schlaepfer and Lawler 2022) and cultural heritage adaptation (Sesana et al 2020), and they should be easily integrated within the range of existing conservation planning frameworks that include climate change adaptation (e.g. Gross et al 2016;Schwartz et al 2018), and in planning PCA networks, including marine protected areas (Wilson et al 2020).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Planning for Climate Change Impacts on Geoheritage Interests in Protected and Conserved Areas

Gordon

Wignall

Brazier³

et al. 2022

Geoheritage

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Climate change presents challenges for the management of geoheritage at all scales from individual geosites to whole landscapes, and affecting all areas of the planet. Direct impacts will arise principally through the effects of climate changes on geomorphological processes and vegetation cover, while indirect impacts will result from hard engineering interventions to mitigate risks from natural hazards. We present an indicative framework that sets out key steps to help geoconservation practitioners and managers of all protected and conserved areas (PCAs) with geoheritage interests to assess and manage the impacts of climate change on geoheritage. Strategies for mitigation and adaptation to assist contingency planning and implementation should be supported by site condition monitoring and as far as possible work with nature, but will require to be adaptive in the face of many uncertainties. Our approach is based on assessment of the risk of degradation of geosites and their features and processes arising from the likelihood of climate change affecting them and the predicted severity of impacts. The risk of degradation of a site, feature or process will depend on (i) its geographic location and proximity to geomorphological systems that are likely to respond dynamically to climate changes; (ii) the magnitude, rate and duration of these changes; and (iii) intrinsic factors that include the geological and physical characteristics of the site and its features and processes. Management options range from non-intervention to planned interventions informed by the risk of degradation assessment. However, documentation for posterity may be the only practical option for geoheritage interests close to existential thresholds, such as small mountain glaciers, and sites at risk from sea-level rise and coastal or river erosion. Adaptation strategies for geoheritage in protected and conserved areas should, as far as practicable, align with those for biodiversity and aim to deliver multiple co-benefits for nature and people, although economic, social and political constraints may hinder implementation where wider stakeholder interests are involved. Managers of PCAs will need substantial input from geoconservation experts to carry out the assessments recommended and determine the action required.

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Conserving biodiversity in the face of rapid climate change requires a shift in priorities

Cited by 18 publications

References 89 publications

Preventing extinction in an age of species migration and planetary change

Preventing extinction in an age of species migration and planetary change

Subtropical high-montane forest climate refuges in Brazil

Planning for Climate Change Impacts on Geoheritage Interests in Protected and Conserved Areas

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