Apr
2
2007
Habitat restoration won’t mitigate climate change, fish study warns, but it could buy time
The future for Chinook salmon Oncorhynchus tshawytscha populations in the Pacific Northwest’s Snohomish River Basin doesn’t look good, according to findings published in PNAS this week. Using two conservative models of climate change, coupled with projections for habitat restoration work and changes in local hydrology, a team of scientists led by Mary Ruckelshaus at NOAA’s Northwest Fisheries Science Center made a surprising discovery: focusing restoration projects on relatively pristine, high-elevation habitats isn’t what the salmon need. The models suggest conservation efforts can buy more time by targeting rivers further down the hill, which are likely to be less affected by climate change.
Source: Battin J, Wiley MW, Ruckelshaus MH, Palmer RN, Korb E, Bartz KK & Imaki H (2007) Projected impacts of climate change on salmon habitat restoration. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0701685104
Image © Sandra vom Stein
Related stories in Conservation magazine:
Salmon Farms Create Deadly Clouds of Sea Lice
Opening Rivers to Trojan Fish
Filed Under Climate change, Fresh water, Habitat, Restoration |
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