scholarly journals Plant Diversity Patterns and Conservation Implications under Climate-Change Scenarios in the Mediterranean: The Case of Crete (Aegean, Greece)

Diversity ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (7) ◽  
pp. 270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Konstantinos Kougioumoutzis ◽  
Ioannis P. Kokkoris ◽  
Maria Panitsa ◽  
Panayiotis Trigas ◽  
Arne Strid ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Biodiversity Conservation ◽  
Extinction Risk ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Natura 2000 ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Planning Strategy ◽  
Conservation Implications ◽  
Island Biodiversity ◽  
Endemic Flora

Climate change poses a great challenge for biodiversity conservation. Several studies exist regarding climate change’s impacts on European plants, yet none has investigated how climate change will affect the extinction risk of the entire endemic flora of an island biodiversity hotspot, with intense human disturbance. Our aim is to assess climate change’s impacts on the biodiversity patterns of the endemic plants of Crete (S Aegean) and provide a case-study upon which a climate-smart conservation planning strategy might be set. We employed a variety of macroecological analyses and estimated the current and future biodiversity, conservation and extinction hotspots in Crete. We evaluated the effectiveness of climatic refugia and the Natura 2000 network of protected areas (PAs) for protecting the most vulnerable species and identified the taxa of conservation priority based on the Evolutionary Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) index. The results revealed that high altitude areas of Cretan mountains constitute biodiversity hotspots and areas of high conservation and evolutionary value. Due to the “escalator to extinction” phenomenon, these areas are projected to become diversity “death-zones” and should thus be prioritised. Conservation efforts should be targeted at areas with overlaps among PAs and climatic refugia, characterised by high diversity and EDGE scores. This conservation-prioritisation planning will allow the preservation of evolutionary heritage, trait diversity and future ecosystem services for human well-being and acts as a pilot for similar regions worldwide.

scholarly journals Spatial Phylogenetics, Biogeographical Patterns and Conservation Implications of the Endemic Flora of Crete (Aegean, Greece) under Climate Change Scenarios

Biology ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 (8) ◽  
pp. 199 ◽  
Author(s):  
Konstantinos Kougioumoutzis ◽  
Ioannis P. Kokkoris ◽  
Maria Panitsa ◽  
Panayiotis Trigas ◽  
Arne Strid ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Industrial Revolution ◽  
Spatial Configuration ◽  
Climate Change Impacts ◽  
Biodiversity Loss ◽  
Biotic Homogenization ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Conservation Prioritization ◽  
Conservation Implications ◽  
The Impact

Human-induced biodiversity loss has been accelerating since the industrial revolution. The climate change impacts will severely alter the biodiversity and biogeographical patterns at all scales, leading to biotic homogenization. Due to underfunding, a climate smart, conservation-prioritization scheme is needed to optimize species protection. Spatial phylogenetics enable the identification of endemism centers and provide valuable insights regarding the eco-evolutionary and conservation value, as well as the biogeographical origin of a given area. Many studies exist regarding the conservation prioritization of mainland areas, yet none has assessed how climate change might alter the biodiversity and biogeographical patterns of an island biodiversity hotspot. Thus, we conducted a phylogenetically informed, conservation prioritization study dealing with the effects of climate change on Crete’s plant diversity and biogeographical patterns. Using several macroecological analyses, we identified the current and future endemism centers and assessed the impact of climate change on the biogeographical patterns in Crete. The highlands of Cretan mountains have served as both diversity cradles and museums, due to their stable climate and high topographical heterogeneity, providing important ecosystem services. Historical processes seem to have driven diversification and endemic species distribution in Crete. Due to the changing climate and the subsequent biotic homogenization, Crete’s unique bioregionalization, which strongly reminiscent the spatial configuration of the Pliocene/Pleistocene Cretan paleo-islands, will drastically change. The emergence of the ‘Anthropocene’ era calls for the prioritization of biodiversity-rich areas, serving as mixed-endemism centers, with high overlaps among protected areas and climatic refugia.

scholarly journals Population genetic variability and distribution of the endangered Greek endemic Cicer graecum under climate change scenarios

AoB Plants ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Efthalia Stathi ◽  
Konstantinos Kougioumoutzis ◽  
Eleni M Abraham ◽  
Panayiotis Trigas ◽  
Ioannis Ganopoulos ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Genetic Diversity ◽  
Genetic Variability ◽  
Hot Spot ◽  
Extinction Risk ◽  
Aflp Markers ◽  
Ex Situ ◽  
Dominant Factor ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Global Circulation Models

Abstract The Mediterranean hot spot includes numerous endemic and socio-economically important plant species seriously threatened by climate change and habitat loss. In this study, the genetic diversity of five populations of Cicer graecum, an endangered endemic species from northern Peloponnisos, Greece and a wild relative of the cultivated Cicer arietinum, was investigated using inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSRs) and amplified fragment length polymorphism (AFLP) markers in order to determine levels and structure of genetic variability. Nei’s gene diversity by ISSR and AFLP markers indicated medium to high genetic diversity at the population level. Moreover, AMOVA results suggest that most of the variation exists within (93 % for AFLPs and 65 % for ISSRs), rather than among populations. Furthermore, Principal Component Analysis based on ISSRs positively correlated the genetic differentiation among the populations to the geographic distances, suggesting that the gene flow among distant populations is limited. The ecological adaptation of C. graecum populations was also investigated by correlation of their genetic diversity with certain environmental variables. Aridity arose as the dominant factor positively affecting the genetic diversity of C. graecum populations. We modelled the realized climatic niche of C. graecum in an ensemble forecasting scheme under three different global circulation models and two climate change scenarios. In all cases, a severe range contraction for C. graecum is projected, highlighting the high extinction risk that is probably going to face during the coming decades. These results could be a valuable tool towards the implementation of an integrated in situ and ex situ conservation scheme approach for activating management programmes for this endemic and threatened species.

scholarly journals Globalization and Biodiversity Conservation Problems: Polycentric REDD+ Solutions

Land ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 35 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mwangi Githiru ◽  
Josephine Njambuya
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Ecosystem Services ◽  
Rural Communities ◽  
Protected Areas ◽  
Biodiversity Conservation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Great Chance ◽  
Free Rider Problem ◽  
The Face ◽  
Negative Impacts

Protected areas are considered the cornerstone of biodiversity conservation, but face multiple problems in delivering this core objective. The growing trend of framing biodiversity and protected area values in terms of ecosystem services and human well-being may not always lead to biodiversity conservation. Although globalization is often spoken about in terms of its adverse effects to the environment and biodiversity, it also heralds unprecedented and previously inaccessible opportunities linked to ecosystem services. Biodiversity and related ecosystem services are amongst the common goods hardest hit by globalization. Yet, interconnectedness between people, institutions, and governments offers a great chance for globalization to play a role in ameliorating some of the negative impacts. Employing a polycentric governance approach to overcome the free-rider problem of unsustainable use of common goods, we argue here that REDD+, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) climate change mitigation scheme, could be harnessed to boost biodiversity conservation in the face of increasing globalization, both within classic and novel protected areas. We believe this offers a timely example of how an increasingly globalized world connects hitherto isolated peoples, with the ability to channel feelings and forces for biodiversity conservation. Through the global voluntary carbon market, REDD+ can enable and empower, on the one hand, rural communities in developing countries contribute to mitigation of a global problem, and on the other, individuals or societies in the West to help save species they may never see, yet feel emotionally connected to.

Climate change, scenarios and marine biodiversity conservation

Marine Policy ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 38 ◽  
pp. 438-446 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcus Haward ◽  
Julie Davidson ◽  
Michael Lockwood ◽  
Marc Hockings ◽  
Lorne Kriwoken ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Biodiversity Conservation ◽  
Marine Biodiversity ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios

scholarly journals Exploring trade-offs between SDGs for Indus River Dolphin conservation and human water security in the regulated Beas River, India

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrea Momblanch ◽  
Nachiket Kelkar ◽  
Gill Braulik ◽  
Jagdish Krishnaswamy ◽  
Ian P. Holman
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Flood Control ◽  
Extinction Risk ◽  
Freshwater Ecosystems ◽  
Low Flow ◽  
Conservation Strategies ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Indus River ◽  
Systems Model ◽  
Trade Offs

AbstractIn India’s Indo-Gangetic plains, river flows are strongly altered by dams, barrages and water diversions for irrigation, urban supply, hydropower production and flood control. Human demands for freshwater are likely to intensify with climatic and socio-economic changes, exacerbating trade-offs between different sustainable development goals (SDGs) dependent on freshwater (e.g. SDG2, SDG6, SDG7, SDG11 and SDG15). Freshwater ecosystems and endangered aquatic species are not explicitly addressed in the SDGs, but only nested as targets within SDG6 and SDG15. Thus, there is high risk that decisions to advance other SDGs may overlook impacts on them. In this study, we link a water resource systems model and a forecast extinction risk model to analyze how alternative conservation strategies in the regulated Beas River (India) affect the likelihood of survival of the only remaining population of endangered Indus River Dolphins (IRD) in India in the face of climate change-induced impacts on river hydrology and human water demands, explicitly accounting for potential trade-offs between related SDGs. We find that the frequency of low flow released from the main reservoir may increase under some climate change scenarios, significantly affecting the IRD population. The strongest trade-offs exist between the persistence of IRD, urban water supply and hydropower generation. The establishment of ecologically informed reservoir releases combined with IRD population supplementation enhances the probability of survival of the IRD and is compatible with improving the status of relevant SDGs. This will require water managers, conservation scientists, and other stakeholders to continue collaborating to develop holistic water management strategies.

scholarly journals Management implications based on diversity patterns under climate change scenarios in a continental island biodiversity hotspot

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Konstantinos Kougioumoutzis ◽  
Ioannis P. Kokkoris ◽  
Maria Panitsa ◽  
Panayiotis Trigas ◽  
Arne Strid ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Environmental Management ◽  
Decision Making ◽  
Cost Effective ◽  
Biodiversity Hotspot ◽  
Ex Situ ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Island Biodiversity ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Effective Conservation

AbstractIn the Anthropocene era, climate change poses a great challenge in environmental management and decision-making for species and habitat conservation. To support decision-making, many studies exist regarding the expected vegetation changes and the impacts of climate change on European plants, yet none has investigated how climate change will affect the extinction risk of the entire endemic flora of an island biodiversity hotspot, with intense human disturbance. Our aim is to assess, in an integrated manner, the impact of climate change on the biodiversity and biogeographical patterns of Crete and to provide a case-study upon which a cost-effective and climate-smart conservation planning strategy might be set. We employed a variety of macroecological analyses and estimated the current and future biodiversity, conservation and extinction hotspots in Crete, as well as the factors that may have shaped these distribution patterns. We also evaluated the effectiveness of climate refugia and the NATURA 2000 network (PAs) on protecting the most vulnerable species and identified the taxa that should be of conservation priority based on the Evolutionary Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) index, during any environmental management process. The highlands of Cretan mountain massifs have served as both diversity cradles and museums, due to their stable climate and high topographical heterogeneity. They are also identified as biodiversity hotspots, as well as areas of high conservation and evolutionary value, due their high EDGE scores. Due to the ‘escalator to extinction’ phenomenon and the subsequent biotic homogenization, these areas are projected to become diversity ‘death-zones’ in the near future and should thus be prioritized in terms of conservation efforts and by decision makers. In-situ conservation focusing at micro-reserves and ex-situ conservation practices should be considered as an insurance policy against such biodiversity losses, which constitute cost-effective conservation measures. Scientists and authorities should aim the conservation effort at areas with overlaps among PAs and climate refugia, characterized by high diversity and EDGE scores. These areas may constitute Anthropocene refugia. Thus, this climate-smart, cost-effective conservation-prioritization planning will allow the preservation of evolutionary heritage, trait diversity and future services for human well-being and acts as a pilot for similar regions worldwide.

scholarly journals Effects of conservation policy on China’s forest recovery

2016 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. e1500965 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrés Viña ◽  
William J. McConnell ◽  
Hongbo Yang ◽  
Zhenci Xu ◽  
Jianguo Liu
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Biodiversity Conservation ◽  
Climate Change Mitigation ◽  
Forest Conservation ◽  
Forest Cover ◽  
National Level ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Forest Recovery ◽  
Forest Loss ◽  
Change Mitigation

Forest loss is one of the most pervasive land surface transformations on Earth, with drastic effects on global climate, ecosystems, and human well-being. As part of biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation efforts, many countries, including China, have been implementing large-scale policies to conserve and restore forests. However, little is known about the effectiveness of these policies, and information on China’s forest dynamics at the national level has mainly relied on official statistics. In response to international calls for improved reliability and transparency of information on biodiversity conservation and climate change mitigation efforts, it is crucial to independently verify government statistics. Furthermore, if forest recovery is verified, it is essential to assess the degree to which this recovery is attributable to policy, within the context of other relevant factors. We assess the dynamics of forest cover in China between 2000 and 2010 and evaluate the effectiveness of one of the largest forest conservation programs in the world—the Natural Forest Conservation Program (NFCP). Results indicate that forest cover has significantly increased in around 1.6% of China’s territory and that the areas exhibiting forest gain experienced a combined increase in net primary productivity (ca. 0.9 Tg of carbon). Among the variables evaluated at county level, the NFCP exhibited a significantly positive relation with forest gain, whereas reduction in rural labor showed a negative relationship with both forest loss and gain. Findings such as these have global implications for forest conservation and climate change mitigation efforts.

scholarly journals Global shortfalls in extinction risk assessments for endemic flora

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. V. Gallagher ◽  
S. Allen ◽  
M. C. Rivers ◽  
A. P. Allen ◽  
N. Butt ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Plant Species ◽  
Endemic Species ◽  
Extinction Risk ◽  
Plant Conservation ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Global Strategy ◽  
Risk Assessments ◽  
Face Threats ◽  
Extinction Risk Assessment ◽  
Endemic Flora

SUMMARYThe Global Strategy for Plant Conservation (GSPC) ambitiously calls for an assessment of extinction risk for all recognised plant taxa by 20201. It is now clear that this target will not be met in the short-term; only 21-26% of known plant species have been assessed2 – a monumental shortfall in anticipated knowledge. Yet the need for risk assessments has never been more urgent. Plants are rapidly going extinct3,4 and face threats such as climate change5 and permanent deforestation6. Extinction risk assessments continue to provide the critical foundation to inform protection, management and recovery of plant species7,8, the loss of which will have clear consequences for maintaining planetary systems and human well-being9. Here, we rank countries of the world based on progress towards assessing the extinction risk to their endemic flora. Overall, 67% of country-based endemic species do not have an extinction risk assessment completed (143,294 species). We show that some of the world’s wealthiest nations, which also have relatively strong species protections, are failing to protect their unique flora by not systematically assessing risks to their endemic species.

scholarly journals Drivers of vulnerability to climate change in the southernmost region of Bahia (Brazil)

2021 ◽  
Vol 34 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Frederico Monteiro Neves ◽  
Guineverre Alvarez ◽  
Fábio Fernandes Corrêa ◽  
João Batista Lopes Silva
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Atlantic Forest ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Socioeconomic Indicators ◽  
Environmental Liabilities ◽  
Forest Region ◽  
Vulnerability To Climate Change ◽  
Central Actor ◽  
Brazilian Northeast

The region that comprises the Atlantic Forest is one of the most degraded areas of the planet, being especially vulnerable in climate change scenarios, which project a mean temperature increase between 2ºC and 3ºC by 2070 for the Brazilian Northeast region. This article aims to analyze the main drivers of socio-environmental vulnerability in the Atlantic Forest region that comprises the southernmost identity territory of Bahia (Brazil) and their potential consequences for coping with climate change. To this end, historical data on land use and occupation was spatialized and evaluated, along with socioeconomic indicators and legal environmental adequacy in the municipalities that make up this territory. The results indicate four structural drivers that generate regional vulnerabilities: the persistence of deforestation; the continuous expansion of monoculture areas; the maintenance of low levels of well-being of the population; as well as a picture of legal environmental liabilities. Based on the analysis of these data, strategies are proposed to increase the adaptive capacity to climate change in this region, especially considering the role of municipalities as a central actor in the implementation of adaptation actions by incorporating into their existing planning instruments indicators and strategies that address the multiple current challenges, especially when the federal government seems to be neglecting climate change.

scholarly journals Genomic Approaches for Conservation Management in Australia under Climate Change

Life ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (7) ◽  
pp. 653
Author(s):  
Isabelle Onley ◽  
Katherine Moseby ◽  
Jeremy Austin
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Threatened Species ◽  
Management Practices ◽  
Conservation Management ◽  
Extinction Risk ◽  
Climate Change Scenarios ◽  
Genetic Management ◽  
Species Management ◽  
The Face ◽  
Analytical Approaches

Conservation genetics has informed threatened species management for several decades. With the advent of advanced DNA sequencing technologies in recent years, it is now possible to monitor and manage threatened populations with even greater precision. Climate change presents a number of threats and challenges, but new genomics data and analytical approaches provide opportunities to identify critical evolutionary processes of relevance to genetic management under climate change. Here, we discuss the applications of such approaches for threatened species management in Australia in the context of climate change, identifying methods of facilitating viability and resilience in the face of extreme environmental stress. Using genomic approaches, conservation management practices such as translocation, targeted gene flow, and gene-editing can now be performed with the express intention of facilitating adaptation to current and projected climate change scenarios in vulnerable species, thus reducing extinction risk and ensuring the protection of our unique biodiversity for future generations. We discuss the current barriers to implementing conservation genomic projects and the efforts being made to overcome them, including communication between researchers and managers to improve the relevance and applicability of genomic studies. We present novel approaches for facilitating adaptive capacity and accelerating natural selection in species to encourage resilience in the face of climate change.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document