Assisted Migration Strategies for Species Conservation

Assisted migration encompasses the deliberate translocation of species, populations or genotypes beyond their historical ranges to areas projected to remain suitable under rapid climate change. As rising temperatures, shifting precipitation patterns and habitat fragmentation increasingly outpace natural dispersal, such interventions aim to pre-empt local extinctions and maintain ecosystem functioning. Approaches range from experimental introductions with empirical monitoring to predictive modelling using species distribution models. Decision frameworks integrate climatic projections, habitat suitability, ecological interactions and socio-economic factors to identify candidate taxa, release sites and optimal timing for translocation. While assisted migration can bolster adaptive capacity, enhance genetic diversity and safeguard ecosystem services, it also carries risks related to invasion potential, disruption of native communities and altered disease dynamics. Effective implementation demands robust risk assessments, adaptive management, regulatory oversight and stakeholder engagement. Global pilot projects in forest, grassland and alpine systems have demonstrated both the promise and challenges of these approaches, emphasising the need for an ethos of responsible conservation that balances precaution with proactive stewardship.

Research from Nature Portfolio

Recent work has applied empirical introductions to refine habitat suitability estimates. By out-planting a rare high-elevation silversword across a network of field plots and modelling survival against microclimate variables, researchers derived more accurate projections of current and future suitability than standard species distribution models, revealing novel translocation targets. Another study has developed a decision framework for assisted colonisation of plant species under warming scenarios, assessing short-, medium- and long-term climatic envelopes to guide site selection and identify when alternative conservation measures, such as ex situ collections, become necessary as climate envelopes shift beyond establishment thresholds.

Assisted Migration Strategies for Species Conservation publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in assisted migration strategies for species conservation across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Assisted migration (AM): Deliberate movement of species or populations to areas outside their historical ranges to track suitable environmental conditions.

Assisted colonisation: A subset of assisted migration focused on establishing taxa in novel locations anticipated to become climatically suitable.

Species distribution model (SDM): A computational method linking species occurrences to environmental variables to predict habitat suitability.

Disease Triangle: A conceptual framework describing the interactions among pathogen, host and environment that determine disease emergence.

Range shift: The movement of species’ geographic distributions in response to changing climatic or environmental conditions.

References

1. Empirical estimation of habitat suitability for rare plant restoration in an era of ongoing climatic shifts. Scientific Reports (2023).
2. Planning for assisted colonization of plants in a warming world. Scientific Reports (2016).
3. Revisiting the case for assisted colonisation under rapid climate change. Journal of Applied Ecology (2025).
4. Amplifying plant disease risk through assisted migration. Conservation Letters (2018).
5. How to Decide Whether to Move Species Threatened by Climate Change. PLOS ONE (2013).