The implementation of assisted migrationin Canadian forests

Assisted migration has been proposed as one tool to reduce some of the negative ecological consequences of climate change. The idea is to move species to locations that could better suit them climatically in the future. Although humanmediated movements are not a recent phenomenon, assisted migration has lately been the source of debate, in particular within conservation biology circles. In this paper, we outline the major perspectives that help define differing views on assisted migration and shed some light on the ethical roots of the debate in the context of Canadian forests. We emphasize that there are many different forms of assisted migration, each responding to different (often unstated) objectives and involving unique risks and benefits, thus making the debate more nuanced than often portrayed. We point out certain seeming contradictions whereby the same argument may be used to both support and oppose assisted migration. The current debate on assisted migration primarily focuses on ecological risks and benefits; however, numerous uncertainties reduce our capacity to quantitatively assess these outcomes. In fact, much of the debate can be traced back to fundamental perspectives on nature, particularly to the ethical question of whether to deliberately manage natural systems or allow them to adapt on their own. To facilitate discussion, we suggest that the focus should move towards a clearer identification of values and objectives for assisted migration.Keywords: assisted colonization, climate change, environmental ethics, species conservation, forest management RÉSUMÉ La migration assistée a récemment été suggérée comme outil permettant de réduire les conséquences écologiques néga-tives des changements climatiques. L'idée est de déplacer des espèces vers des sites qui leur conviendraient mieux dans le futur. Le déplacement d' espèces par l'homme n' est pas un phénomène nouveau. Cependant, la migration assistée a soulevé des débats récemment, particulièrement dans la sphère de la biologie de la conservation. Cet article a pour objectif de souligner les racines éthiques du débat en clarifiant les principales perspectives et visions sur la migration assistée au Canada. Le terme migration assistée s'applique à plusieurs types d'intervention, chacune correspondant à des objectifs différents (souvent non mentionnés) et impliquant des risques et bénéfices qui lui sont propres. Le débat serait en fait beaucoup plus nuancé que souvent décrit. Nous soulignons certaines contradictions où un même argument est utilisé pour supporter ou s' opposer à la migration assistée. Le débat actuel sur la migration assistée se concentre principalement sur la détermination scientifique des risques et bénéfices écologiques. Cependant, de nombreuses incertitudes réduisent notre capacité à évaluer de façon quantitative les résultats de ces interventions. Une grande partie du débat est en fait liée à notre perspective fondamentale sur la nature, particulièrement à la question éthique de la prise en charge des processus naturels...

Section: Exploration Of Two Perspectives On Assisted Migrationmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Preventing the Extinction Of Speciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Why we disagree about assisted migration: Ethical implications of a key debate regarding the future of Canada's forests

Aubin

Garbe

Colombo

et al. 2011

“…Also, Pedlar et al (2011, this issue) provide an extensive description of the implementation requirements for assisted migration as well as a review of the existing information, tools and infrastructure that can support assisted migration, from planning to moving to post-establishment maintenance and evaluation. Pedlar et al (2011) also present a high-level cost assessment of implementing different scenarios of assisted migration, and conclude with the identification of priorities and options for next steps, including key information gaps and technical and infrastructure requirements.…”

Section: Risks Of Doing Vs Not Doing Assisted Migrationmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although there is considerable debate and uncertainty regarding the widespread implementation of assisted migration for species conservation, the practices being implemented within the forestry community are at the low-risk end of the spectrum (Kreyling et al 2011)-the movement of populations within a species range (termed "assisted population migration") or the movement of species just outside their range ("assisted range expansion"). An overview of the state of the implementation of assisted migration in Canada is provided by Pedlar et al (2011) in this issue.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Assisted migration: Introduction to a multifaceted concept

Ste-Marie

NelsonElizabeth

DabrosAnna

et al. 2011

The idea that humans can assist nature by purposely moving species to suitable habitats to fill the gap between their migration capability and the expected rate of climate change is being increasingly contemplated and debated as an adaptive management option. The interest in assisted migration, both in the scientific community and society at large, is growing rapidly and is starting to be translated into action in Canada. However, the concept is in its infancy; clear terminology has not yet been established and assisted migration still encompasses a broad range of practices. This introductory paper for the special issue of The Forestry Chronicle on the subject of assisted migration describes increasing interest in the subject and its complexity. It also provides an overview of the potential scale of assisted migration, proposes a terminology, and briefly introduces the following papers. Overall, the five papers aim to present a comprehensive state of the scientific and operational knowledge and the debate on assisted migration in the context of Canada's forests.

“…The various articles summarized the ethical debates (Aubin et al 2011), ecological considerations (Winder et al 2011), and potential species vulnerabilities (Beardmore and Winder 2011) that come into play when AM is considered. Some existing AM trials and planning processes, as well as potential silvicultural actions were also outlined (Pedlar et al 2011, Winder et al 2011.…”

Section: Carolyn Talbotmentioning

confidence: 99%

Assisted migration: uncertainty, risk and opportunity

Park

Talbot

2012

The recent Forestry Chronicle special section on the subject of Assisted Migration (AM) did a great service to the Canadian forestry community by summarizing the risks, opportunities and ecological aspects of this forest management strategy. In this paper, we expand on some aspects of AM that were discussed in the special section, as well as discussing additional dimensions of AM that should be considered and debated. We expand on the theme of scientific uncertainties around future warming, emphasizing the full extent of uncertainty in estimates of climate sensitivity. We also expand upon and summarize a number of recent ecophysiological results that have implications for the adaptation and acclimation of trees to climate change. We also discuss opportunities for innovative forest management, the influence of economic trends on the future of the Canadian forest industry, and limitations on public knowledge of climate change, all of which are factors that will influence the feasibility of AM schemes in the future.Key words: assisted migration, managed relocation, climate change scenarios, uncertainty, ecophysiology, epigenetics RÉSUMÉLa section spéciale publiée dernièrement dans le Forestry Chronicle portant sur le sujet de la migration assistée (MA) a rendu un fier service à la communauté forestière canadienne en résumant les risques, les opportunités et les questions écologiques liés à cette stratégie d'aménagement forestier. Nous approfondissons dans cet article certains aspects de la MA qui ont été abordés dans la section spéciale et nous discutons également des dimensions additionnelles de la MA qui devraient être considérées et débattues. Nous nous attardons sur le thème portant sur les incertitudes scientifiques entourant le réchauffement climatique, mettant en évidence la portée complète de l'incertitude touchant les estimés de la sensitivité climatique. Nous résumons et nous discutons également de certains résultats écophysiologiques récents qui ont des répercussions sur l'adaptation et l'acclimatation des arbres face aux changements climatiques. Nous discutons aussi des opportunités d'innovation en matière d'aménagement forestier, de l'influence des tendances économiques sur l'avenir de l'industrie forestière canadienne et des limites des connaissances du public sur les changements climatiques, tous constituant des facteurs qui influenceront la faisabilité des schémas de MA dans le futur.