Assessing species vulnerability to climate change

Pacifici, M.; Foden, W.B.; Visconti, P.; Watson, J.E.M.; Butchart, S.H.M.; Kovacs, K.M.; Scheffers, B.R.; Hole, D.G.; Martin, T.G.; Akçakaya, H.R.; Corlett, R.T.; Huntley, B.; Bickford, D.; Carr, J.A.; Hoffmann, A.A.; Midgley, G.F.; Pearce-Kelly, P.; Pearson, R.G.; Williams, S.E.; Willis, S.G.; Young, B.; Rondinini, C.

doi:10.1038/nclimate2448

Assessing species vulnerability to climate change

Pacifici, M.; Foden, W.B.; Visconti, P.; Watson, J.E.M.; Butchart, S.H.M.; Kovacs, K.M.; Scheffers, B.R.; Hole, D.G.; Martin, T.G.; Akçakaya, H.R.; Corlett, R.T.; Huntley, B.; Bickford, D.; Carr, J.A.; Hoffmann, A.A.; Midgley, G.F.; Pearce-Kelly, P.; Pearson, R.G.; Williams, S.E.; Willis, S.G.; Young, B.; Rondinini, C.

Authors

M. Pacifici

W.B. Foden

P. Visconti

J.E.M. Watson

S.H.M. Butchart

K.M. Kovacs

B.R. Scheffers

D.G. Hole

T.G. Martin

H.R. Akçakaya

R.T. Corlett

Brian Huntley brian.huntley@durham.ac.uk
Emeritus

D. Bickford

J.A. Carr

A.A. Hoffmann

G.F. Midgley

P. Pearce-Kelly

R.G. Pearson

S.E. Williams

Professor Stephen Willis s.g.willis@durham.ac.uk
Professor

B. Young

C. Rondinini

Abstract

The effects of climate change on biodiversity are increasingly well documented, and many methods have been developed to assess species' vulnerability to climatic changes, both ongoing and projected in the coming decades. To minimize global biodiversity losses, conservationists need to identify those species that are likely to be most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. In this Review, we summarize different currencies used for assessing species' climate change vulnerability. We describe three main approaches used to derive these currencies (correlative, mechanistic and trait-based), and their associated data requirements, spatial and temporal scales of application and modelling methods. We identify strengths and weaknesses of the approaches and highlight the sources of uncertainty inherent in each method that limit projection reliability. Finally, we provide guidance for conservation practitioners in selecting the most appropriate approach(es) for their planning needs and highlight priority areas for further assessments.

Citation

Pacifici, M., Foden, W., Visconti, P., Watson, J., Butchart, S., Kovacs, K., …Rondinini, C. (2015). Assessing species vulnerability to climate change. Nature Climate Change, 5, 215-225. https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2448

Journal Article Type	Article
Publication Date	Mar 1, 2015
Deposit Date	Feb 25, 2015
Publicly Available Date	Mar 18, 2015
Journal	Nature climate change.
Print ISSN	1758-678X
Electronic ISSN	1758-6798
Publisher	Nature Research
Peer Reviewed	Peer Reviewed
Volume	5
Pages	215-225
DOI	https://doi.org/10.1038/nclimate2448
Public URL	https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1414309