Queensland’s biodiversity under climate change: ecological scaling of terrestrial environmental change
Queensland’s biodiversity under climate change: ecological scaling of terrestrial environmental change Report
CSIRO Climate Adaptation Flagship Working Paper
- Author(s): Ferrier, S., Harwood, T., Williams, K.J.
- Published: 2012
- Publisher: CSIRO Climate Adaptation Flagship
Abstract: Climate and ocean changes will affect all of Queensland’s marine, terrestrial and aquatic ecosystems in ways that are more widespread and, in many situations, more extreme than currently recognised. The modelling and synthesis undertaken in this working paper indicate that all ecosystems across Queensland are expected to experience significant environmental change. Minimising the impact that ecosystem change is projected to have on Queensland’s biodiversity will require a shift in management objectives away from protecting the most threatened species or preserving the current state of ecosystems, to prioritising ecosystem functioning and supporting the natural movement of species. This paper explains how modelling techniques can be used to indicate how much change might be expected for environments in Queensland and what these changes might mean for the ecological character of particular regions or ecosystems.