A Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment of California's At-Risk Birds

[Tom Gardali]

A Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment of California's At-Risk Birds

Thomas Gardali^1*, Nathaniel E. Seavy¹, Ryan T. DiGaudio², Lyann A. Comrack³

1 Pacific Coast and Central Valley Group, PRBO Conservation Science, Petaluma, California, United States of America, 2 Emerging Programs and Partnerships Group, PRBO Conservation Science, Petaluma, California, United States of America, 3 Nongame Wildlife Program, California Department of Fish and Game, Sacramento, California, United States of America

 

Citation: Gardali T, Seavy NE, DiGaudio RT, Comrack LA (2012) A Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment of California's At-Risk Birds. PLoS ONE 7(3): e29507. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0029507

 

Abstract

Conservationists must develop new strategies and adapt existing tools to address the consequences of anthropogenic climate change. To support statewide climate change adaptation, we developed a framework for assessing climate change vulnerability of California's at-risk birds and integrating it into the existing California Bird Species of Special Concern list. We defined climate vulnerability as the amount of evidence that climate change will negatively impact a population. We quantified climate vulnerability by scoring sensitivity (intrinsic characteristics of an organism that make it vulnerable) and exposure (the magnitude of climate change expected) for each taxon. Using the combined sensitivity and exposure scores as an index, we ranked 358 avian taxa, and classified 128 as vulnerable to climate change. Birds associated with wetlands had the largest representation on the list relative to other habitat groups. Of the 29 state or federally listed taxa, 21 were also classified as climate vulnerable, further raising their conservation concern. Integrating climate vulnerability and California's Bird Species of Special Concern list resulted in the addition of five taxa and an increase in priority rank for ten. Our process illustrates a simple, immediate action that can be taken to inform climate change adaptation strategies for wildlife.

[Chris Merkord]

Nice job. I see your paper's getting some press too: http://ornithologyexchange.org/forums/topic/2545-new-study-will-help-protect-vulnerable-birds-from-impacts-of-climate-change/