Protect habitat `stepping stones' to help species cope with climate
change

Date:
August 26, 2021
Source:
University of Liverpool
Summary:
Safe passages for species adapting to climate change aren't always
being protected, a new study warns.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
Safe passages for species adapting to climate change aren't always being protected, a new study by the University of Liverpool warns.


==========================================================================
With rising temperatures altering where species can survive, many are
moving to newly hospitable patches further north. Key to this journey
is ensuring suitable connectivity between where species currently live
and where they might do in the future.

"If patches of habitat vital to connectivity are lost because they
aren't protected, a major way species can adapt to climate change will
be hindered. We therefore need methods to identify the most important
'stepping stones' and consider these when designating protected areas
for conservation," explains researcher Thomas Travers.

In a new paper published today in the Proceedings of the Royal Society
B, researchers used a cutting-edge software tool called Condatis to
explore how species might move northwards through 16 different habitat
networks in England, quantifying the importance of different patches
to this connectivity. They also explored how much connectivity could be improved by protecting some of the key areas.

The study was carried out by researchers from the University of Liverpool, Natural England and the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology.

The team found that important connecting patches were often left
out of the existing networks of protected area, meaning that less
connectivity was protected than you might expect given the amount of
habitat protection. Across 12 of the 16 habitat networks they studied,
this shortfall averaged 13.6%.



========================================================================== However, they also found that if just a small amount of additional area
was protected, it could have a major impact on helping to redress this imbalance and reduce vulnerability to climate change. By focusing on
additional nature reserves to prioritise connectivity, the team estimates
that an average of 41% more connectivity could be achieved with just a
10% increase in area protection.

Lead author Thomas Travers, a PhD student at the University of Liverpool,
said: "The scientific community has been emphasising the importance of incorporating connectivity into the planning process for at least 30
years, and as global climates continue to change this importance will
grow. Unfortunately, it appears the connectedness of habitats remains vulnerable to degradation and loss through lack of protection. We have
shown that patches important to long- distance connectivity can be easily identified, allowing the proportion protected to be greatly increased
with minimal additional resources." Co-author Dr Jamie Alison, from
the UK Centre for Ecology and Hydrology, added: "We mustn't forget to
protect habitats that seem to be small and peripheral.

They are valuable places for people to enjoy nature -- but also for
species to cope with climate change." Senior author Dr Jenny Hodgson,
from the University of Liverpool, said "Securing the protection of our
best habitats for wildlife is a fundamental first step towards making
the natural world resilient in a changing climate.

The Convention on Biological Diversity's proposed target to protect 30%
of the Earth's land and seas for nature by 2030 (30x30 goal) provides an important and timely opportunity to shore up some of this connectivity protection deficit." Dr Humphrey Crick, from Natural England welcomed
the study, and said: "The importance of connectivity has been emphasised
in the Government's approach to climate change adaptation and this study provides an excellent example of how we can use the latest science to
help identify those areas that are potentially important." The software Condatis was developed by Dr Jenny Hodgson and has been used around the
world to prioritise the best habitat to protect and restore.

Thomas Travers was funded by a NERC studentship through the ACCE
(Adapting to the Challenges of a Changing Environment) Doctoral Training Partnership. The study also received financial and logistical support
from Natural England.

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Liverpool. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Thomas J. P. Travers, Jamie Alison, Sarah D. Taylor, Humphrey Q. P.

Crick, Jenny A. Hodgson. Habitat patches providing
south-north connectivity are under-protected in a fragmented
landscape. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences,
2021; 288 (1957): 20211010 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.1010 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/08/210826111732.htm

--- up 15 weeks, 6 days, 22 hours, 45 minutes
* Origin: -=> Castle Rock BBS <=- Now Husky HPT Powered! (1:317/3)