Climate change and challenges for conservation

Abstract

The headlines • Biodiversity has been significantly depleted by non-climatic factors, such as land-use change. Climate change will exacerbate this loss and compromise ecosystem integrity. • Integrated approaches will be necessary to evaluate species’ responses to climate change, which will be more complex and more uncertain than range shifts alone. • This paper recommends applying new perspectives to traditional conservation practices. A global and flexible approach to biodiversity protection and resource management may be needed for successful conservation policy and planning.