Eleventh International Conference on Climate Change: Impacts & Responses

Abstract

In order to increase survival probability of the most valuable threatened species and habitats, the European Community (EC) defined a series of strategies to improve management of sites within Natura 2000, the largest coordinated network of protected areas in the world, so that citizens become involved in their maintenance and new tools are implemented to facilitate joint efforts addressed to biodiversity conservation. The general objective of this project, whose final results are due on May 31, 2019, is to develop a predictive tool that helps to orientate conservation efforts in Special Areas of Conservation (SAC) within Natura 2000 in response to ongoing climate change, so that its impact on reducing the loss of biodiversity can be maximized. Specific objectives include: determining habitat preferences and dispersal patterns of two indicator species of small land vertebrates, particularly sensitive to environmental changes, in the SAC Betanzos-Mandeo, NW Spain; estimating gene flow levels between different parts of the SAC through whole-genome molecular markers obtained by next-generation sequencing; fine-scale mapping of suitable habitats; modelling landscape connectivity with the aid of GIS tools; predicting consequences of landscape modification categorised by key elements on population conservation; assessing social attitudes toward environmental conservation in the SAC; and, setting territory management priorities assisted by high-resolution species distribution models. Our contribution will provide a general outline of the global warming scenario in this SAC and describe actions so far implemented under each specific objective of the project.