Climate Change—Protected Areas as a Tool to Address a Global Crisis

Abstract

AbstractClimate change is a pervasive and ongoing threat to natural and human communities around the globe, and protected areas are not exempt from its impacts. However, protected areas are also a powerful and increasingly utilised tool to enhance climate mitigation and increase the adaptation of human and natural communities alike. From the protection of ecosystems that draw carbon out of the atmosphere and protect human communities, to the ability to help species move to more favourable conditions and adapt to a changing environment, protected areas have the potential to aid the global fight to address the climate crisis while reinforcing their ‘traditional’ role to protect biodiversity.