Summary of research
Our climate is changing too fast for many plant and animal species to adapt. As these changes are increasing, many species are disappearing from their current ranges. These reports were developed through the Biodiversity Node of the NSW Adaptation Research Hub and provide information on how climate change is affecting ecosystems, plants and animals in NSW, including how ecosystems may respond to climate change, how species are adapting, and vulnerable species. This information can help researchers and decision makers identify key ecosystems and species to target management efforts.
Reports
Bioclimatic discordance: Combining molecular and environmental data to identify floristic refugia and corridors (PDF 646KB) – published 2018, a study of a new approach to help predict how vegetation distribution may respond to climate change.
Using plant traits to assess threatened species adaptive capacity under climate change (PDF 564KB) – published 2018, an assessment of the adaptive capacity of plants (taxa listed under the NSW TSC Act) to climate change.
The vulnerability of threatened species and ecological communities to climate change in NSW (PDF 5.9MB) – published 2016, a report on the vulnerability of threatened species and ecological communities to climate change in NSW.
Identifying species at risk across current and future landscapes (PDF 2.5MB) – published 2018, a project report providing baseline information about the potential extinction risk for a suite of ~5,000 NSW plant species which are currently not listed as threatened under the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Act 2016.
Using IUCN criteria to perform rapid assessments of at-risk taxa – published 2019, a study showing how the IUCN Red List criteria can be applied to NSW plant species to identify species that are threatened or at risk of extinction.
Identifying in situ climate refugia for plant species – published 2018, a case study of areas containing certain plant species that are projected to remain climatically stable under different future climate scenarios.
Tools
NSW Threatened Species & Communities - A website to explore profiles for species and ecological communities listed as threatened in NSW under the NSW Threatened Species Conservation Act 1995. Search by name, region or threat type.
NSW Flora: Ecological Niche Finder - A portal to access baseline ecological data for NSW flora, such as range size, climate and soil niche breadth.