Conclusions and Recommendations for Adapting Conservation Management in the Face of Climate Change

Abstract

In HABIT-CHANGE several barriers for the adaptation of conservation management have been identified. Much information and many methods do not fit with planning reality and the decision context at site level. Management authorities as well as land users and stakeholders often lack sufficient expertise and incentives to initiate adaptation activities. At present, learning by doing still plays a fundamental role in the adaptation of conservation management. It is as much a social learning process as it is a science-based procedure. Adaptation to climate change is a cross-sectoral issue. Therefore, stakeholder involvement and guidance of land use-related adaptation activities are of major importance. Available resources and the institutional setting of protected areas have a considerable influence on the capacity and willingness to adapt. Many administrations are not sufficiently equipped to respond to the impacts of climate change. There is an urgent need to build capacity in protected areas to monitor, assess, manage and report the effects of climate change and their interaction with other pressures. More collaboration between science and management will help to develop expertise and identify the most important knowledge gaps.