Rare animals 'to be moved from native habitats because of climate change'

Endangered animals from wildcats to butterflies and fish could be transported from their native habitats to other countries under controversial plans being developed by scientists to help them cope with climate change.
Daily Telegraph 25 May 09;

Conservationists fear that rapid climate change could see animals and plants "trapped" in homes that become too hot or dry for them, raising the possibility of extinction.

But now for the first time experts have been evaluating ways to help species adapt to rapid climate change.

They are considering a controversial strategy called "managed relocation".

The project, partly funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF), involves humans stepping in to move species into more accommodating habitats.

Managed relocation has been rejected by some scientists who fear the relocated species could overpopulate a new area and cause local organisms to become extinct.

The system, presented in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences on Monday, will help scientists determine whether moving a particular species into a foreign habitat for protection would work.

Species that could be saved by assisted migration include the Spanish Lynx, which has become trapped in increasingly arid pockets of the Iberian peninsula, while certain species of butterflies and corals have been previously identified as good candidates. Rare fish trapped in lakes could also be moved to cooler waters. Scientists hope the plans will help conservationists develop a checklist.

One of the researchers, Jessica Hellmann of the University of Notre Dame, said the method now had to be considered "because it is becomingly overwhelmingly evident that climate change is a reality and it is fast and large".

She added: "Consequences will arise within decades, not centuries.

"So action seems much more important now than it did even five or 10 years ago when atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases were lower.

"Now, we are committed to greater degrees of climate change."

She continued: "We have previously been able to say, 'let nature run its course.'

"But because humans have already changed the world, there is no letting nature run its course anymore.

"Now, action, like inaction, has potentially negative consequences."

David Richardson of Stellenbosch University in South Africa, said: "The results of intentional and accidental introductions of species into new habitats have taught us a great deal about the implications of moving organisms to new habitats.

"Nevertheless, predictions of whether introduced species will 'take' in new areas and their likely impacts will always involve uncertainty.

"But we can make informed predictions with stated bounds of uncertainty."

The NSF's Program Director Nancy Huntly said: "The tool takes advantage of the fact that although science can't tell us exactly what will happen in the future it can tell us how likely a favourable result is useful information for decision-makers."

The researchers' tool is designed to help expose managed relocation's risks and costs – considerations that are often absent from decision-making on natural resources.

It gives conservationists a system for individually evaluating a proposed relocation based on several criteria.

This includes the probability of the success of a proposed relocation, its potential for harming receiving ecosystems and its costs.