Title
Mapping vulnerability and conservation adaptation strategies under climate change
Author(s)
Watson, J. E. M., T. Iwamura and N. Butt
Published
2013
Publisher
Nature Climate Change
Published Version DOI
https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2007
Abstract
Identification of spatial gradients in ecosystem vulnerability to global climate change and local stressors is an important step in the formulation and implementation of appropriate countermeasures1, 2. Here we build on recent work to map ecoregional exposure to future climate, using an envelope-based gauge of future climate stability—defined as a measure of how similar the future climate of a region will be to the present climate3, 4. We incorporate an assessment of each ecoregion’s adaptive capacity, based on spatial analysis of its natural integrity—the proportion of intact natural vegetation—to present a measure of global ecosystem vulnerability. The relationship between intactness (adaptive capacity) and stability (exposure) varies widely across ecoregions, with some of the most vulnerable, according to this measure, located in southern and southeastern Asia, western and central Europe, eastern South America and southern Australia. To ensure the applicability of these findings to conservation, we provide a matrix that highlights the potential implications of this vulnerability assessment for adaptation planning and offers a spatially explicit management guide.
Full Citation
Watson, J. E. M., T. Iwamura and N. Butt (2013). "Mapping vulnerability and conservation adaptation strategies under climate change." Nature Climate Change 3(11): 989-994. http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2007

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