As the climate changes, some areas are likely to experience less change than others. These areas, often referred to as climatic refugia, may provide protection for species in the face of climate change. Climatic refugia are likely to include heavily shaded ravines, cold valleys, shaded slopes, aquatic systems with strong groundwater inputs, and coastal areas near deep water bodies or cold currents. Protecting or managing for climatic refugia can support many conservation goals. Smaller, more ephemeral refugia can help conserve historically occurring species in the near term while longer-term solutions are developed. Larger or more durable refugia may be able to sustain species for centuries and serve as longer term solutions. For these reasons, refugia are likely to play an important role in planning and managing for the persistence of at-risk species into the future.

This project builds on previous research that identified climatic refugia for multiple species in the Pacific Northwest. While conducting that research, it became clear that identifying climatic refugia for all at-risk species in a similar manner would be a massive undertaking. However, if managers and species experts had a tool that drew on existing data layers, it might be possible to identify refugia for many species relatively quickly. In this project, the research team will hold a combination of workshops and development sessions with partners at the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife to take a simple prototype of a refugia tool and develop it into a flexible tool that can be used by managers and species experts to identify refugia for any terrestrial species.