May 2013: Highlighting the risks posed by climate change to biodiversity, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the UN (FAO) has released a study that documents climate-induced changes to ecosystems and measures to promote adaptation.

The report, titled ‘Wildlife in a changing climate,’ describes the roles of major climate-induced changes related to disturbances and extreme weather events, as well as long-term ecosystem and landscape changes in coasts, mountains, forests and grasslands. It underscores the need to prepare for ecosystem and landscape change, new species distributions and interactions, human-wildlife conflicts, wildfires, invasive species and changes in wildlife disease and health.

On adaptation measures, the study highlights approaches to maintain current ecosystems, adapt management, restore damaged ecosystems, and adopt integrated and landscape approaches. It underscores that globally all ecosystems will be affected by climate change and that human-use of these systems will be forced to evolve. [Publication: Wildlife in a Changing Climate] [Publication (in Spanish): La Fauna Silvestre en un Clima Cambiante]