Abstract
Maintaining the functional integrity of ecosystems as climate pressures exceed natural rates of adaptation requires new knowledge and new approaches to governance and management. However, research into management interventions to assist regional ecosystem adaptation has generated both scientific and ethical debate. This paper reviews experience to date in order to identify the challenges and opportunities for assisted regional ecosystem adaptation and reflect on the implications for ongoing adaptation research. The review was informed by a database and structured analysis of some 450 reports, peer-reviewed manuscripts and books on participation theory and experience with novel technology development and assisted ecosystem adaptation. We identified five classes of challenges to adaptation research: 1) scientific conflicts and debates over the “facts”, 2) social challenges, 3) governance challenges, 4) epistemic challenges, and 5) ontological conflicts. We argue that engagement strategies linked to the multiple objectives of adaptation research provide opportunities for ecosystem adaptation.
Highlights
Responding to risks associated with anthropogenic climate change requires mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions to reduce the magnitude and speed of environmental change and adapt to the changes experienced
This paper considers the challenges associated with assisted regional ecosystem restoration and adaptation to inform intervention research within the marine ecosystem of Australia’s Great Barrier Reef
Experiences of assisted regional ecosystem adaptation highlighted several potential points of conflict related to technical considerations embedded in scientific debates, the nature and potential risks of technology deployment, and social and political issues related to new technology
Summary
Responding to risks associated with anthropogenic climate change requires mitigation of greenhouse gas emissions to reduce the magnitude and speed of environmental change and adapt to the changes experienced. It is acknowledged that even under best case scenarios the planet will experience climate extremes that will have catastrophic environmental and human costs [4]. Assisted regional ecosystem adaptation is newly emerging in response to unavoidable climate extremes. As an umbrella concept, assisted regional ecosystem adaptation refers to strategies that could be applied to shift the biogeographic range of species within ecosystems or landscape management and technology solutions that can be applied to address extreme climate effects at the regional scale [5,6,7].
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
