How do you protect wilderness through climate change? In a sense, you can’t. B.C. is poised to lose species – it’s not the strongest that survive; it’s the ones that can adapt to change. Not all B.C. species can adapt to warming temperatures. That’s the bad news.
The good news: wilderness can protect biodiversity
B.C. can protect its biodiversity by protecting large swaths of wilderness. B.C.’s intact ecosystems host countless insects, plants and animals – we have great biodiversity. Left alone, nature loves variety. By protecting large wilderness areas where “nature can be nature”, we will keep biodiversity thriving. Adaptable species will keep their toeholds in the native ecosystems; newcomer species will grab spots left by waning ones. Each valley, mountain or ocean ecosystem will keep “biodiversity”, even as it loses species.
CPAWS is on the cutting edge of wilderness and climate change research. We now recommend protection of wilderness based on its importance in the future. Our recommendations for the Atlin-Taku region of British Columbia were the first to adopt a climate change model for conservation.
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