vulnerability and adaptive capacity of biodiversity in wales dr clive walmsley countryside council...
TRANSCRIPT
Vulnerability and adaptive capacity of biodiversity in Wales
Dr Clive Walmsley
Countryside Council for Wales
Hickling et al. 2006, Global Change Biology
Climate change impacts are widespread and happening now
N
S
Many future threats & opportunities facing UK biodiversity
• Frequency of extreme weather events • Increased risk of fire • Facilitation of non-native invasive species through climate change
and invasional meltdown• Dramatic changes in freshwater flows• Increased demand for biofuel and biomass• Facilitate species range change in face of climate change• Sea-level rise resulting in loss of coastal/intertidal habitats• Reduction of coldwater continental shelf habitats• Significant increase in coastal and offshore power • Ocean acidification• Nature conservation policy and practice may not keep pace
with environmental change• Geo-engineering to mitigate effects of climate change
Sutherland et al. 2008, J. Appl. Ecol.
• Programme of Action Sets out proposed actions to deliver climate change objectives
• Emission reduction by business, transport, residential, waste, public, agriculture and land use sectors
• Adaptation to climate change in our environment, economy and society
• Importance of behavioural change in all sectors
Climate Change Strategy for Wales
CCW’s Climate Change Position Statement
• Monitoring - climate change and its impacts to inform action
• Projecting change - in climate and its environmental impacts to inform action
• Understanding and awareness - climate change, its impacts and potential responses
• Enhancing resilience - development of actions and policies that improve resilience
• Reducing emissions - an integrated approach to our own and facilitating others
Monitoring climate change Yr Wyddfa/Snowdon ECN site
© CCW
Monitoring climate changeMarine: Skomer MNR
2020s High
Scenario
Projecting future change: greater horseshoe bat
2050s High
Scenario
2080s High
Scenario
Type of weather event reported
Spatial distribution of reported weather events corrected by population
Sites ranked based on proportion of habitat area assessed as highly vulnerable to climate change over the next 20 years
Wilson et al. 2010.
Welsh SSSIs & SACs containing highly vulnerable habitat features
a) SSSIs (406 sites)
26%
61%
13%
H habitats M habitats L habitats
b) SACs (79 sites)
54%
28%
18%
H habitats M habitats L habitats
Wilson et al. 2010. CCW Science Report No. 942. Climate Vulnerability Assessment of Designated Sites in
Wales
UK Biodiversity Partnership:guidelines
•Actions we can start now – not requiring new policy or legislation•No regrets –good things to do even without climate change•Set the direction of change not the final destination•Maintaining Protected Areas and their appropriate management underpins all other elements of advice
Develop measures that improve resilience to climate change
Collating case studies and evidence
• Enhancing resilience at a local or landscape scale
• Monitoring and projecting impacts
• Understanding and awareness of adaptation issues
• Emissions reduction projects with synergy for biodiversity adaptation