Evolutionary principles and genetic considerations for guiding conservation interventions under climate change

• Published in: Global change biology 2021-02, Vol.27 (3), p.475-488
• Main Authors: Gaitán‐Espitia, Juan D., Hobday, Alistair J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Anthropogenic factors; Biodiversity; biodiversity interventions; Biodiversity loss; biological conservation; Biological evolution; Biology; Climate Change; Conservation; Conservation of Natural Resources; Corridors; Ecosystem; Environmental impact; Environmental restoration; Evolution; evolutionary rescue; extinction risk; Gene flow; Genetic diversity; Genetic engineering; genetic management; Genetic variation; Genetics, Population; Human influences; Population genetics; Population number; Protected areas; Species extinction
• ISSN: 1354-1013; 1365-2486
• DOI: 10.1111/gcb.15359

Impacts of climate change are apparent in natural systems around the world. Many species are and will continue to struggle to persist in their current location as their preferred environment changes. Traditional conservation efforts aiming to prevent local extinctions have focused on two aspects that theoretically enhance genetic diversity—population connectivity and population size—through ‘passive interventions’ (such as protected areas and connectivity corridors). However, the exceptionally rapid loss of biodiversity that we are experiencing as result of anthropogenic climate change has shifted conservation approaches to more ‘active interventions’ (such as rewilding, assisted gene flow, assisted evolution, artificial selection, genetic engineering). We integrate genetic/genomic approaches into an evolutionary biology framework in order to discuss with scientists, conservation managers and decision makers about the opportunities and risks of interventions that need careful consideration in order to avoid unwanted evolutionary outcomes. Traditional conservation efforts in the past have focused on two aspects that theoretically enhance genetic diversity—population connectivity and population size—through ‘passive interventions’ such as implementing protected areas and creating connectivity corridors. However, the exceptionally rapid loss of biodiversity that we are experiencing as a result of climate change and other human activities has shifted conservation approaches to more ‘active interventions’ such as captive breeding, reintroduction and rewilding, assisted migration, assisted gene flow, assisted evolution, artificial selection and genetic engineering. The implementation of these interventions without careful consideration of fundamental principles in evolutionary biology can generate unwanted evolutionary outcomes that are antagonistic to natural evolutionary responses.