No Place to Hide:: Effects of Climate Change on Protected Areas
This paper considers the potential impacts of climate change on protected areas (PAs) and actions that can be taken to mitigate them. Recent research suggests that the types of environmental changes predicted in climatic models are now taking place. Studies of many animals and plants that show signi...
| Main Author: | |
|---|---|
| Format: | Text |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
WWF Climate Change Programme
2003
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc226657/ |
| Summary: | This paper considers the potential impacts of climate change on protected areas (PAs) and actions that can be taken to mitigate them. Recent research suggests that the types of environmental changes predicted in climatic models are now taking place. Studies of many animals and plants that show significant alterations in range or behaviour find that the most consistent explanation for these is climate change. These impacts may necessitate a fundamental rethinking in the approach to protection. Protected areas are rooted in the concept of permanence: protection works best as a conservation tool if the area remains protected for the foreseeable future. But under climate change, species for which a particular protected area was established may no longer survive there. Some protected areas - for instance in coastal, arctic and mountain regions - may disappear altogether in their current form. |
|---|