"Are conservation organizations configured for effective adaptation to " by Paul R. Armsworth, Eric R. Larson et al.

Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources Faculty Publications

Title

Are conservation organizations configured for effective adaptation to global change?

Authors

Paul R. Armsworth, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Eric R. Larson, The University of Tennessee, Knoxville
Stephen T. Jackson, United States Geological Survey
Dov F. Sax, Brown University
Paul Simonin, Cornell University
Bernd Blossey, Cornell University
Nancy Green, US Fish & Wildlife Service
Mary L. Klein, NatureServe
Liza Lester, Ecological Society of America
Taylor H. Ricketts, University of Vermont
Michael C. Runge, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center
M. Rebecca Shaw, Environmental Defense Fund

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

1-1-2015

Abstract

© The Ecological Society of America. Conservation organizations must adapt to respond to the ecological impacts of global change. Numerous changes to conservation actions (eg facilitated ecological transitions, managed relocations, or increased corridor development) have been recommended, but some institutional restructuring within organizations may also be needed. Here we discuss the capacity of conservation organizations to adapt to changing environmental conditions, focusing primarily on public agencies and nonprofits active in land protection and management in the US. After first reviewing how these organizations anticipate and detect impacts affecting target species and ecosystems, we then discuss whether they are sufficiently flexible to prepare and respond by reallocating funding, staff, or other resources. We raise new hypotheses about how the configuration of different organizations enables them to protect particular conservation targets and manage for particular biophysical changes that require coordinated management actions over different spatial and temporal scales. Finally, we provide a discussion resource to help conservation organizations assess their capacity to adapt.

Rights Information

Recommended Citation

Armsworth PR, Larson ER, Jackson ST, Sax DF, Simonin P, Blossey B, Green N, Klein ML, Lester L, Ricketts TH, Runge MC. Are conservation organizations configured for effective adaptation to global change?. Frontiers in Ecology and the Environment. 2015 Apr;13(3):163-9.