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Climate Change Refugia Special Issue: Buying Time for Biodiversity to Adapt in a Changing World
Human-caused climate change will rapidly alter ecosystems in the Northwest and around the world, putting species that inhabit them under severe stress. These sweeping ecological changes will leave little time for species and ecosystems to adapt to new conditions, resulting in extinctions and large-scale ecosystem transformations.
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Improving Refugia Identification by Combining Landscape and Species-Based Approaches
Identifying and protecting climate change refugia — areas relatively buffered from climate change that can help species persist in a warming climate — is increasingly important for conservation planning. Until recently, the approaches used to identify refugia at broad scales mainly focused on landscape features and climate conditions.
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A Broader View of Disturbance Refugia in a Changing Climate
Many natural disturbances, like wildfires, which have helped to maintain ecosystem processes and biodiversity in the past, are worsening under climate change and are threatening biodiversity. There is increasing recognition of the role of disturbance refugia — locations disturbed less severely or less frequently than the surrounding landscape — as legacies important to sustaining species under rapid ecological change.
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Faces of Adaptation: Sean Finn
Sean Finn lives in Boise, Idaho and is a Science Coordinator in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Science Applications Program. Sean’s work mostly involves infusing science into conservation decision-making across large landscapes.
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Hear from NW CASC & CIG Scientists at Upcoming EarthLab Showcase
Interested in the work happening at the University of Washington and beyond to address climate change and other large-scale environmental challenges? The UW EarthLab All-Hands Showcase is your opportunity to attend virtual lightning talks from more than 20 professionals all working toward a healthier, more sustainable future.
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Faces of Adaptation: Davia Palmeri
Davia Palmeri is the Conservation Policy Coordinator for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW), representing the agency on the NW CASC Stakeholder Advisory Committee. In her role at ODFW, she helps the Department prepare for and respond to crosscutting conservation issues between its fish and wildlife divisions, including climate change, renewable energy development and conservation funding.
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Lynx on the Edge? Canada Lynx Occupancy in Washington
The Canada lynx (Lynx canadensis) is a sensitive indicator species for impacts of climate change, as it is adapted to forested, high-elevation and deep-snow environments. In Washington, part of its southern range, the endangered Canada lynx is especially threatened by increases in temperature and associated loss of snow cover.
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New NW CASC Synthesis Explores the Effects of Climate Change on Invasive Species in the Northwest
There is growing concern that changing climate conditions will amplify the negative impacts of non-native invasive species and facilitate their expansion. Despite the potential ecological and economic impacts of invasive species expansions in the Northwest, there has been no comprehensive synthesis on climate change effects on invasive species – until now.
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NW CASC Study Synthesizes What Climate Change Means for Northwest Wildfires
Recent years have brought unusually large and damaging wildfires to the Pacific Northwest, leaving many people wondering what this means for our region’s future. A University of Washington study, funded by the NW CASC and US Forest Service, takes a big-picture look at what climate change could mean for wildfires in the Northwest.
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NW CASC University Director to Give Livecast Briefing on Linking Science and Action for Environmental and Energy Study Institute’s Climate Adaptation Data Week
NW CASC University Director Dr. Amy Snover will be giving a Livecast lunchtime briefing for Congressional staff and the broader community sponsored by the non-partisan Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) on Thursday, April 16th at 9 AM (PT).
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