Approach
For species that are distributed across a gradient of climate conditions, it may be clear that some populations occur in areas that will become more suitable as the climate shifts. Other populations may exist in areas that are anticipated to become less suitable. Managers may choose to intentionally move individuals into projected suitable climate conditions to maximize the persistence of these populations ahead of time (Rödder and Schulte 2010).
Tactics
- Release wild turkeys from Mid-Atlantic states into New England.
- Move eastern tiger salamanders from populations in south-central Minnesota to populations in north-central Minnesota, where conditions may be more suitable as the prairie-forest border shifts to the northeast.
Strategy
Strategy Text
The geographic range of a species may shift under climate change, based on key life-history traits or future migration of suitable habitat. Particularly in instances where there is a high degree of confidence in future shifts, it may be appropriate to intentionally facilitate expand a species' range to ensure that newly suitable habitat is occupied. The following Approaches cover several ways for wildlife managers to anticipate and take advantage of shifting conditions.
Citation
LeDee, O.E., Handler, S.D., Hoving, C.L., Swanston, C.W. and Zuckerberg, B. 2021. Preparing Wildlife for Climate Change: How Far Have We Come? Jour. Wild. Mgmt., 85: 7-16. https://doi.org/10.1002/jwmg.21969