Applying assessments of adaptive capacity to inform natural‐resource management in a changing climate

• Published in: Conservation biology 2022-04, Vol.36 (2), p.e13838-n/a
• Main Authors: Thurman, Lindsey L., Gross, John E., Mengelt, Claudia, Beever, Erik A., Thompson, Laura M., Schuurman, Gregor W., Hoving, Christopher L., Olden, Julian D.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: adaptación climática; Adaptation; adaptive capacity; Anthropogenic factors; cambio climático; capacidad adaptativa; Capacity; Climate adaptation; Climate Change; conservación; Conservation; Conservation of Natural Resources; Ecology; Identification; Literature reviews; management; manejo; Natural Resources; resilience; resiliencia; Resource management; Risk management; Species extinction; vulnerabilidad; Vulnerability; 保护; 恢复力; 气候变化; 气候适应; 管理; 脆弱性; 适应能力
• ISSN: 0888-8892; 1523-1739
• DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13838

Adaptive capacity (AC)—the ability of a species to cope with or accommodate climate change—is a critical determinant of species vulnerability. Using information on species’ AC in conservation planning is key to ensuring successful outcomes. We identified connections between a list of species’ attributes (e.g., traits, population metrics, and behaviors) that were recently proposed for assessing species’ AC and management actions that may enhance AC for species at risk of extinction. Management actions were identified based on evidence from the literature, a review of actions used in other climate adaptation guidance, and our collective experience in diverse fields of global‐change ecology and climate adaptation. Selected management actions support the general AC pathways of persist in place or shift in space, in response to contemporary climate change. Some actions, such as genetic manipulations, can be used to directly alter the ability of species to cope with climate change, whereas other actions can indirectly enhance AC by addressing ecological or anthropogenic constraints on the expression of a species’ innate abilities to adapt. Ours is the first synthesis of potential management actions directly linked to AC. Focusing on AC attributes helps improve understanding of how and why aspects of climate are affecting organisms, as well as the mechanisms by which management interventions affect a species’ AC and climate change vulnerability. Adaptive‐capacity‐informed climate adaptation is needed to build connections among the causes of vulnerability, AC, and proposed management actions that can facilitate AC and reduce vulnerability in support of evolving conservation paradigms. Aplicación de Evaluaciones de la Capacidad Adaptativa para Informar la Gestión de Recursos Naturales en un Clima Cambiante Resumen La capacidad adaptativa (CA) – la habilidad que tiene una especie para sobrellevar o acomodarse al cambio climático – es una determinante crítica de la vulnerabilidad de una especie. El uso de la información sobre la CA de una especie dentro de la planeación de la conservación es de suma importancia para asegurar resultados exitosos. Identificamos las conexiones entre una lista de atributos de las especies (p. ej.: características, métricas poblacionales, comportamientos) que fueron propuestos recientemente para la evaluación de la CA de las especies y las acciones de gestión que pueden mejorar la CA para las especies que se encuentran en riesgo de extinc