Title
Assessment of potential climate change impacts on montane forests in the peruvian andes: Implications for conservation prioritization
Date Issued
01 January 2021
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Publisher(s)
MDPI AG
Abstract
Future climate change will result in profound shifts in the distribution and abundance of biodiversity in the Tropical Andes, and poses a challenge to contemporary conservation planning in the region. However, currently it is not well understood where the impacts of climate disruption will be most severe and how conservation policy should respond. This study examines climate change impacts in the Peruvian Andes, with a specific focus on tropical montane forest ecosystems, which are particularly susceptible to climate change. Using an ensemble of classification models coupled with different climate change scenarios, we estimate high and low potential impacts on montane forest, by projecting which areas will become climatically unsuitable to support montane forest ecosystems by 2070. These projections are subsequently used to examine potential impacts on protected areas containing montane forest. The modeling output indicates that climate change will have a high potential impact on 58% of all montane forests, particularly in the elevation range between 800 and 1200 m.a.s.l. Furthermore, about 64% of montane forests located in protected areas will be exposed to high potential impact. These results highlight the need for Peru’s conservation institutions to incorporate climate change considerations into prevailing conservation plans and adaptation strategies. To adjust to climate change, the adaptive capacity of forest ecosystems in the Peruvian Andes should be enhanced through restorative and preventive conservation measures such as improving forest functions and mitigating deforestation and forest degradation pressures.
Volume
12
Issue
3
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Conservación de la Biodiversidad
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85103192380
Source
Forests
ISSN of the container
19994907
Source funding
Bundesministerium für Umwelt, Naturschutz und Reaktorsicherheit
Sponsor(s)
This research was partially funded by the projects 18_III_101_PER_A_Drivers of Deforestation and 18_III_106_COL_A_Sustainable productive strategies. These projects are part of the International Climate Initiative (IKI). This research was partially funded by the projects 18_III_101_PER_A_Drivers of Deforestation and 18_III_106_COL_A_Sustainable productive strategies. These projects are part of the International Climate Initiative (IKI). The Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMU) supports this initiative on the basis of a decision adopted by the German Bundestag.
Sources of information: Directorio de Producción Científica Scopus