A manual on climate change adaptation in protected areas

Published on: 23/04/20

The manual on climate change adaptation in protected areas produced by EUROPARC Spain is now available in English.

Article by Olivier de Sadeleer, Project Manager – LIFE Natur’Adapt (Climate Change Adaptation)

We are proud to announce the release by EUROPARC-Spain of the English version of its leading-edge “Manual 13: Protected areas in the face of global change. Climate change adaptation in planning and management”.

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While other drivers of change are well identified and routinely targeted by management plans (land-use changes, invasive species, or pollution), attention to climate change is still very low or often non-existent.

This is why the EUROPARC Federation and Sections are working to develop methods, tools and services that will enable managers to perform climate change vulnerability assessment and develop adaptation plans for nature protected areas.

Climate change creates even more uncertainty. It requires a new management approach. It pushes us to innovate.

said Marta Mugica, Coordinator of EUROPARC Spain, adding that “On top of keeping ecosystems in good conservation status, it is now important that we look into the future to ensure the greatest resilience possible.”

A manual on climate change adaptation in protected areas, for professionals!

Manual 13 aims at helping managers on the ground by offering guidance for major types of ecosystem. Although adaptation measures are context-specific, EUROPARC Spain compiled case studies and scientific references to build a state-of-the-art methodology to incorporate climate change adaptation measures in the design of management plans. Using this methodology, managers should be able to integrate climate change in the different phases of the planning process.