新澳门六合彩内幕信息

California a Botanical and Climate Change Hot Spot

Combination Marks Opportunities for Climate Adaptation and Innovation

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sun hovers above purple mountain tops in background while orange-red wildflowers blanket a ridge in the foreground at Molok Luyuk in  California
Wildflowers blanket Molok Luyuk (foremerly Walker Ridge) in the Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument. The site was slated for wind energy production despite its rich biodiversity before being protected. (Jesse Pluim/Bureau of Land Management)

From coastal redwoods and Joshua trees to golden poppies and sagebrush, California is a global botanical hotspot. It鈥檚 also a place confronted with extreme heat, wildfires and crumbling coastlines. The state鈥檚 natural beauty and history of pioneering conservation efforts make it a test bed for protecting biodiversity in the face of current and future climate change, argues a study led by the University of California, Davis. 

Published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, the study, 鈥淐limate Change and California鈥檚 Terrestrial Biodiversity,鈥 is part of a special PNAS issue on California sustainability. The article concludes that California鈥檚 30 x 30 Initiative to preserve 30% of its lands and coastal waters by 2030, along with efforts to harmonize biodiversity conservation and renewable energy, is a promising step. It also highlights the need for California to shift away from its decades-long fire suppression policies and adopt fire strategies reflective of new fire regimes. 

鈥淐alifornia has had a history for over 100 years of being a leader in protecting the environment 鈥 from setting aside parks for people to climate adaptation,鈥 said lead author Susan Harrison, a professor in the 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis Department of Environmental Science and Policy. 鈥淭he threats are extreme and unprecedented, but California has always been a state where creative new solutions have emerged.鈥

California鈥檚 climate has become warmer, drier and more variable since the mid-1900s, the study noted. It examined major threats climate change poses to the state鈥檚 biodiversity and sustainability. These include the impacts of shifting plant biodiversity, land-use change, wildfire and renewable energy, and the policy responses to those challenges.

Six researchers in sun hats stand on a beige hill with black trees charred by wildfire behind them
新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis scientists and staff visit the site of the 2018 Camp Fire, near Paradise, California, with US Forest Service foresters. (Jim Thorne, 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis)

Hot spots on the move

The authors modeled the distribution of about 6,400 native plant species, identifying 15 regional plant biodiversity hot spots 鈥 from small areas, such as the Channel Islands, to vast parts of the Sierra Nevada and coastal ranges.

The models indicate these hot spots could lose an average of 19% of their native plant species by 2080 under current climate projections. California鈥檚 complex mosaic of microclimates means the state鈥檚 species could respond in a wide variety of ways to climate change. Some hot spots are expected to move toward the coast or upslope, while others remain or disappear.

redbud blooms in foreground with green mountain slope in background
A redbud blooms in a foothill canyon of Sequoia and Kings Canyon National Park.(Jim Thorne, 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis)

Those stakes help outline the need for renewable energy projects to align with expected biodiversity shifts and needs. For example, Molok Luyuk, or Condor Ridge (formerly Walker Ridge), was slated for wind development projects along its blustery ridge despite its rich biodiversity before earning protection as part of Berryessa Snow Mountain National Monument. 

鈥淭his paper is pointing out that we need to be proactive,鈥 said co-author James H. Thorne, a research scientist with the 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis Environmental Science and Policy department. 鈥淲e can鈥檛 be reactive like, 鈥極h, this wildfire is out of control. Oh, this species is disappearing. Oh, we misplaced where this green energy site should go.鈥 We have tools that can be used, some of which we discuss in this paper.鈥

A new mindset

Wildfire is a nearly year-round reminder of the state鈥檚 hotter, drier climate. 

The authors write that fire management policies in California are less progressive than its policies for climate and conservation. The paper encourages the state to move away from its longstanding policy of fire suppression and adapt its strategies to use fire as an ecosystem management tool. State and federal agencies have set ambitious targets to increase the use of fire in land management but have been stymied by bans on prescribed fire motivated by safety and air quality concerns.

Harrison calls wildfire and climate change 鈥済ame-changers鈥 for how we think about conservation. 

鈥淭raditionally, 鈥榗onservation鈥 had a restrictive meaning鈥攚e try to keep things the same. If anything goes missing, we try to put it back,鈥 Harrison said. 鈥淏ut now, we require a different mindset. We need to be willing to modify traditional views of conservation. We need continual innovation.鈥

Additional co-authors include Rebecca R. Hernandez and Hugh Safford of 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis, Janet Franklin of San Diego State University, and Makihiko Ikegami of National Institute of Environmental Studies - Shiga, Japan.

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Media Resources

  • Susan Harrison, 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis Environmental Science and Policy, spharrison@ucdavis.edu
  • Amy Quinton, 新澳门六合彩内幕信息 Davis News and Media Relations, 530-601-8077, amquinton@ucdavis.edu 

 

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