PRBO works in close partnership with government agencies, nonprofits, academics, and the public to guide effective conservation investments. With accelerating climate change, PRBO’s unique ability to bridge science, conservation application, and policy is more urgent than ever. [back to main climate change page]
Restoring River Habitats
Building on two decades of using science to improve riparian restoration, PRBO, is developing novel approaches to minimizing climate-change impacts on riparian dependent birds, fish, and other wildlife. This work will also enhance habitat connectivity, replenish groundwater, reduce flood impacts downstream and provide thermal safe havens as temperatures rise.
Publication: Seavy et al. 2009. Ecological Restoration. Vol 27.
PRBO Biologist monitoring birds in a habitat restoration area at San Joaquin River National Wildlife Refuge, photo by Mark Dettling
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Sierra Forest Management and Meadow Restoration
PRBO’s decade-long partnership with the US Forest Service has expanded to all ten National Forests in the Sierra Nevada. PRBO scientists are assessing forest management practices and developing montane meadow restoration guidelines to enhance biodiversity and water yield in the face of accelerating environmental changes.
Chipping Sparrow(L), photo by Tom Grey Northern Sierra Meadow(R), photo by Ryan Burnett
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Conserving California’s Threatened Birds
Globally, climate change is predicted to dramatically increase the rate of species extinctions. In order to guide conservation policy and action, we must identify species that are at the most at risk of extinction due to climate change.
PRBO biologists recently compiled a listing of California’s most threatened birds in California’s Bird Species of Special Concern. We are now revising this list to incorporate the threat of climate change. The result will be a forward-looking assessment of the vulnerability of California’s birds given climate change, the “California Bird Species of Future Concern.”
Grey-crowned Rosy Finch (L), photo by Caleb Slemmons Cassin's Auklet Chick (R), PRBO photo
Species of Future Concern: The Grey-crowned Rosy Finch (above left) will lack options as temperatures increase: this mountain-top species has no cooler “upslope” place to go. The Cassin’s Auklet (above right) is a diving seabird that biologists consider particularly vulnerable to climate-change impacts. PRBO is assessing whether birds like these will need special consideration due to the effects of climate change in the near future.
“We can see the fingerprints of climate change in the data that PRBO collects. Our challenge now is to use this information to help conserve birds and their habitats.” — Dr. Grant Ballard, PRBO Informatics Director
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Marine Conservation in a Changing Climate
PRBO scientists are developing sophisticated models to identify marine hotspots throughout the California Current off the West Coast to provide policymakers with improved marine zoning options as the climate changes. Working closely with the Gulf of the Farallones and Cordell Bank National Marine Sanctuaries (NOAA), PRBO marine ecologists helped prepare the “Climate Change Scenario Report,” to guide regional conservation of ocean wildlife.
PRBO conducted analyses to identify marine hotspots and inform Spatial Planning in the California Current System. This analysis indicated that hotspots are well aligned with National Marine Sanctuaries and, as the map below shows, highlighted a major conservation gap in Northern California/Southern Oregon (from Cape Mendocino north to Heceta Bank).
Publication: Nur et al. 2010. PRBO Technical Report to the Resources Legacy Fund.
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Antarctic Habitat and Food Web
PRBO has worked at the Ross Sea in Antarctica studying Adélie Penguins since 1970. Climate change is causing an increase in sea ice in southern regions due to increased winds but warmer temperatures are resulting in quickly vanishing sea ice further north. Where there is too much sea ice, Adélies have difficulty accessing their colonies and foraging locations; when there is no sea ice, Adélie Penguins cannot survive.
Adélie Penguin populations will be challenged not only by changing patterns of sea ice distribution but also growing fishing pressures that threaten their food supply. PRBO and partners are providing scientific guidance for marine spatial planning to help protect the Ross Sea food web—essential to helping Adélies survive the growing climate changes ahead.
Adelie Penguins on ice (L) and PRBO biologist with Adelie Penguin chick on rocks (R), photos by Viola Toniolo
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Science Into Action
Effective conservation in an era of changing climate will require continued ecological research, ongoing monitoring, expanded partnerships and flexible approaches to conservation practices. With our scientific expertise, long-term ecological datasets, innovative modeling, and strong partnerships, PRBO is helping to lead the charge, to address the tremendous challenges of our time.
“Novel approaches will be needed to manage and conserve biodiversity. Single-species approaches will not work well in the context of rapidly changing climate and ecological communities. Long-term ecological monitoring, flexible management strategies, novel public-private partnerships and frequent communication between scientists, managers, and decision-makers will be needed more than ever.”—Ellie M. Cohen, PRBO President and CEO
