Nature is on the move. As the impacts of climate change reveal themselves, species and ecosystems¹ are moving in response. This poses a fundamental challenge to conservation organizations--how do you conserve² something that won't stay still? A new paper authored by a University of Tennessee, Knoxville, professor suggests that in order to cope, conservation organizations need to adapt like the organisms they seek to protect.

 

The paper, published in Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment, argues that conservation organizations need to be bolder in their adaptation efforts given the rate and extent of the ecological³ changes that are coming.

 

As the climate warms and other global changes progress, species move outside their historical ranges, new ecological communities form and ecosystems transition to new states. Moreover, scientists are predicting that these changes will accelerate in the future.

 

"If you are an organization that has focused on conserving⁴ particular species in a particular place, as many of today's conservation organizations are, then something has to give--either you need to change your business model or revisit your conservation priorities. And neither is going to be easy for some of these groups," said Paul Armsworth, lead author and associate professor of ecology and evolutionary⁵ biology.

 

The paper puts forward a number of new ideas for how conservation organizations might address the challenges they are facing. It also highlights stories of success.

 

For example, Scenic⁶ Hudson, an environmental and land conservation group in New York State, has updated the way it prioritizes parts of the landscape for protection to better incorporate a changing climate, especially the impacts of sea-level rise. To get out ahead of the issue, in 2008 the group hired an experienced conservation biologist, created a detailed⁷ plan for shifting its land conservation along the Hudson River and developed resources to help local communities along the waterway adapt to rising sea levels.

 

"Previously⁸, we focused on conserving places that harbor the most important habitats and species today," said Sacha Spector, Scenic Hudson's director of conservation science. "But then we looked at the projections⁹ for sea-level rise in our region. Continuing with business as usual would have left us quite literally¹⁰ under water. Now when prioritizing sites for protection, we also look to acquire areas upslope to open up the possibility for the habitats we are targeting to migrate as the climate changes."

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