Identify and protect climate refugia

This adaptation objective recognizes that many species may have limited capacities to evolve tolerances at a rate that is commensurate with the rate of future climate change. Consequently, there are risks that species may become extirpated throughout parts of their geographic ranges. One way to prevent some of these losses is to identify and protect climate refugia. Refugia are effectively safe havens on the landscape that provide the diversity of habitats and stability needed to promote persistence of biodiversity as regional biotic and abiotic environmental conditions change. In essence, they are locations that biodiversity can retreat to, persist in, and can potentially expand from under changing climate.

Species and populations

Ecosystem Level

Landscape Level