Resilient Sites & Connected Landscapes for Terrestrial Conservation in Alaska
Scientists and conservation planners analyzed 425.5 million acres of land in Alaska for resilience. The Nature Conservancy’s resilience analysis develops an approach to conserve biological diversity while allowing species and communities to rearrange in response to a continually changing climate.
Subject Tags
- Large scale protection
- Climate resilience
- Biodiversity
Abstract
The study area includes 32 TNC ecoregions. Scientists considered individual landscapes such as tundra, boreal forests, coastal rainforests, rivers and lakes, wetlands and mountain ranges as collections of neighborhoods where plants and animals reside. Areas with the most complex neighborhoods in terms of topography and wetland density were estimated to offer the greatest potential for plant and animal species to “move down the block” and find new homes as climate change alters their traditional neighborhoods. The resilience study also considered the permeability of landscapes, analyzing where roads, development, oil and gas mining, or other fragmenting features create barriers that prevent plants and animals from moving into new neighborhoods.
Additional Resources
Explore the data in the Resilient Land Mapping Tool
Download Alaska Resilience Datasets
Citation
Anderson, M.G., Barnett A., Clark M., DePasquale J., Olivero A., Prince J., and Shanley C. (2021). Resilient Sites and Connected Landscapes for Terrestrial Conservation in Alaska. The Nature Conservancy, Center for Resilient Conservation Science.
Media Contacts
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Center for Resilient Conservation Science
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Mark G. Anderson
Director of Conservation Science -
Analie Barnett
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Melissa Clark
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Arlene Olivero
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James DePasquale