The LIFE Natur'Adapt project has published a guide to integrating climate change into protected area management

12/09/2023

The aim of the document is to help understand the consequences of climate change on nature and steer the integration of climate change into protected area management.

The LIFE Natur'Adapt project has published a methodological guide to develop a vulnerability assessment and a climate change adaptation plan in protected areas. The overall objective is to help managers understand the consequences of climate change on nature and steer them in the integration of climate change into protected area management.

The guide is aimed at managers of all types of protected areas (large protected areas, Natura 2000 sites, marine environments, etc.) and presents a flexible methodological framework that adapts to the specific characteristics of each of these protected areas. For this purpose, the Natur'Adapt guide includes sheets designed to adapt its method to the context of the different protected areas.

One of the objectives of the Natur'Adapt process is to understand the impact of climate change on the protected area in question. However, it is neither possible nor useful to analyse the effects of climate change on every component of the protected area in detail (e.g. on all species or all habitats). The document therefore breaks down the effects of climate change into four components: climate, natural heritage, human activities and management actions and resources used by the manager. The guide also sets out four phases in the assessment of the protected area:

• Immersion and planning: to understand climate change globally, find out about the protected area and develop a plan.
• Prospective analysis: to analyse the direct and indirect effects of climate change on the natural heritage and its management, and to determine the vulnerability of the protected area.
• Adaptation management: to define a climate change adaptation strategy and actions and to input the results into the baseline document.
• Reporting and capitalisation: to share results with stakeholders.

About LIFE Natur'Adapt

The LIFE Natur'Adapt project (2018-2023) aims to help take climate change into account in the management of protected areas in France and Europe. To do so, a group of 10 partners has developed a series of tools, including this guide. They have been tested in 21 protected areas (mainly in France) with very varied profiles, to ensure their suitability and functionality