Developing A National Framework for Incorporating Climate Change Refugia into Conservation and Adaptation Planning

The impacts of climate change are widespread and accelerating. As natural resource managers are tasked with maintaining and protecting species and ecosystems, options for minimizing the impacts of climate change are needed. One option for climate adaptation focuses on resistance, which seeks to preserve, as much as possible, the historical structure, composition, and function of an ecosystem in the face of changing climate conditions. One of the primary resistance strategies is to identify and conserve what are known as climate change refugia.  These refugia represent areas that remain relatively buffered from contemporary climate change over time and therefore enable the persistence of valued physical, ecological, and socio-cultural resources.

 

Building on previous regional-scale efforts, researchers will develop a national framework for incorporating climate change refugia into conservation and adaptation planning efforts, with a focus on the priority management needs of the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This effort will result in a synthesis of how climate change refugia can be mapped across the country and a guiding framework on how to incorporate refugia science into natural resource management. Through close collaboration with federal stakeholders, the results of this project can ultimately help inform management decisions related to land protection, invasive species treatment, recreation management, and a host of other conservation challenges.