In consequence, a useful approach for climate change adapted management in
protected areas is one in which there is a flexible framework that defines essential
working steps but leaves enough freedom for tailoring specific adaptation processes
to the site-specific needs.
At the start of HABIT-CHANGE major obstacles for implementation of climate
change adapted management were identified, which included:
– Missing or outdated data;
– Lack of support for climate adaptation (even within the administration of the
protected area);
– Uncertainties related to modelling results on climate change and its impacts;
– Missing resources, manpower or expertise within the protected areas;
– Missing methodical approaches for incorporating modelling output, scenarios
and assessment results into management plans;
– Established management “habits” that conflict with the systematic learning
process required by Adaptive Management.
However, within the project’s lifetime the consortium was able to overcome
these obstacles and gain missing data by biotope mapping and analyses of remote
sensing data; to gain support by sustained communication and awareness raising; to
reduce uncertainties by using an ensemble approach for climate scenarios (see
Chap. 2); to make up missing resources by obtaining external support from project
partners and by providing detailed step-by-step guidance for all working steps
within the methodical approach. Future steps for the implementation of climate
change adapted management plans will show if established management habits will
change towards a systematic learning process.
Adaptation to climate change has to be considered a continuous process as knowledge about climate change, its impacts and the effectiveness of management grows.
Adaptive Management is a promising concept for gaining new knowledge and
adjusting conservation efforts to changing conditions. This requires that management
plans are revised and updated on a regular basis (e.g. every 5–7 years) to ensure the
application of suitable adaptation strategies and measures. However, it is uncertain if all
conservation goals can be maintained and harmonised with the ever-increasing need for
evaluation and realignment of conservation work. Only if all potential management
options fail should a discussion on changing or giving up objectives be started.
Open Access This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution
Noncommercial License, which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in
any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited.
References
Araujo, M., Alagador, D., Cabeza, M., Nogues-Bravo, D., & Thuiller, W. (2011). Climate change
threatens European conservation areas. Ecology Letters, 14, 484–492.
Baron, J., Gunderson, L., Allen, C. D., Fleishman, E., McKenzie, D., Meyerson, L. A., Oropeza, J., &
Stephenson, N. (2009). Options for national parks and reserves for adapting to climate change.
Environmental Management, 44(6), 1033–1042. doi:10.1007/s00267-009-9296-6.
10 A Methodical Framework for Climate Change-Adapted Management. . .
171
protected areas is one in which there is a flexible framework that defines essential
working steps but leaves enough freedom for tailoring specific adaptation processes
to the site-specific needs.
At the start of HABIT-CHANGE major obstacles for implementation of climate
change adapted management were identified, which included:
– Missing or outdated data;
– Lack of support for climate adaptation (even within the administration of the
protected area);
– Uncertainties related to modelling results on climate change and its impacts;
– Missing resources, manpower or expertise within the protected areas;
– Missing methodical approaches for incorporating modelling output, scenarios
and assessment results into management plans;
– Established management “habits” that conflict with the systematic learning
process required by Adaptive Management.
However, within the project’s lifetime the consortium was able to overcome
these obstacles and gain missing data by biotope mapping and analyses of remote
sensing data; to gain support by sustained communication and awareness raising; to
reduce uncertainties by using an ensemble approach for climate scenarios (see
Chap. 2); to make up missing resources by obtaining external support from project
partners and by providing detailed step-by-step guidance for all working steps
within the methodical approach. Future steps for the implementation of climate
change adapted management plans will show if established management habits will
change towards a systematic learning process.
Adaptation to climate change has to be considered a continuous process as knowledge about climate change, its impacts and the effectiveness of management grows.
Adaptive Management is a promising concept for gaining new knowledge and
adjusting conservation efforts to changing conditions. This requires that management
plans are revised and updated on a regular basis (e.g. every 5–7 years) to ensure the
application of suitable adaptation strategies and measures. However, it is uncertain if all
conservation goals can be maintained and harmonised with the ever-increasing need for
evaluation and realignment of conservation work. Only if all potential management
options fail should a discussion on changing or giving up objectives be started.
Open Access This chapter is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution
Noncommercial License, which permits any noncommercial use, distribution, and reproduction in
any medium, provided the original author(s) and source are credited.
References
Araujo, M., Alagador, D., Cabeza, M., Nogues-Bravo, D., & Thuiller, W. (2011). Climate change
threatens European conservation areas. Ecology Letters, 14, 484–492.
Baron, J., Gunderson, L., Allen, C. D., Fleishman, E., McKenzie, D., Meyerson, L. A., Oropeza, J., &
Stephenson, N. (2009). Options for national parks and reserves for adapting to climate change.
Environmental Management, 44(6), 1033–1042. doi:10.1007/s00267-009-9296-6.
10 A Methodical Framework for Climate Change-Adapted Management. . .
171