Natural England and the RSPB, in partnership with the Environment Agency’s Climate Ready Support Service and the Forestry Commission have published a new resource for conservation practitioners, ‘Climate change adaptation manual: evidence to support nature conservation in a changing climate’. Natural England and the RSPB, in partnership with the Environment Agency’s Climate Ready Support Service and the Forestry Commission have today published a new resource for conservation practitioners: ‘Climate change adaptation manual: evidence to support nature conservation in a changing climate’.

There is strong evidence that climate change is already affecting wildlife and habitats; species such as the Dartford warbler and the bee orchid are moving further north and recent storms have highlighted the vulnerability of coastal and wetland habitats.

But we can reduce the risks of climate change and, in some cases, make the most of new opportunities for species and habitats. The Climate Change Adaptation Manual helps land managers and conservationists to plan and take action to limit the impacts of climate change on the natural environment. This is a ground-breaking step forward in responding to the risks recently highlighted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change in its report ‘Climate Change 2014: Impacts, Adaptation and Vulnerability’.

The manual is a hands-on document giving up-to-date, detailed, habitat-specific information for conservation managers to use, to prepare and respond to a changing climate. It is divided into three sections, focusing on:

• the key concepts for making decisions about adaptation and the impact of climate change on the natural environment;
• climate change impacts and potential adaptation responses for 27 of England’s most important habitats; and
• the relationship between climate change and the delivery of ecosystem services.

Click here for more information