A Climate Change and Sea-level Rise Assessment and Prioritization Protocol of 20 Natural Communities in Georgia's Lower Coastal Plain
Author | : Blake Lowery |
Publisher | : |
Total Pages | : 426 |
Release | : 2016 |
ISBN-10 | : OCLC:958999803 |
ISBN-13 | : |
Rating | : 4/5 (03 Downloads) |
Book excerpt: "Human intervention in the environment has caused rapid and substantial losses in global biodiversity resulting in what many deem the 6th mass extinction. The biodiversity that remains is seriously threatened by climate change, see-level rise and land-use changes. Conservation efforts often include both species level (fine filter) and community level (course filter) approaches. In most cases conservation resources are limited and available resources must be allocated to those species and ecosystems that are most vulnerable, biologically distinct, likely to positively respond to conservation practices, and valuable biologically, socially, or economically. Prioritization protocols in the form of vulnerability assessments are often used to assess and identify species or ecosystems of high conservation priority. We used the Standard Index for Vulnerability and Value Assessment (SIVVA) to assess and rank 20 natural communities in the Lower Coastal Plain of Georgia based on vulnerabilities to synergistic threats and ecological, economic, and evolutionary value projected out to the years 2050 and 2100.