Climate Change Impacts on Forest Biodiversity and Conservation Strategies

Climate change is reshaping forest ecosystems worldwide through rising temperatures, altered precipitation patterns and increased frequency of extreme weather events. Such shifts disrupt species distributions, phenology and community interactions, leading to habitat fragmentation, local extinctions and expansion of pests and pathogens. Highland and montane forests are particularly vulnerable as species track suitable climates upslope, while lowland forests contend with intensified drought and fire regimes. In response, conservation strategies have evolved from static protected areas to dynamic management approaches. Restoration efforts now combine passive regeneration with active interventions, such as assisted migration and the use of nurse species to buffer seedlings against climatic stress. Advances in ecological niche modelling and common garden experiments inform seed sourcing and planting designs that anticipate future conditions rather than historical baselines. The integration of in situ conservation with ex situ germplasm banks and adaptive policymaking is critical to maintaining genetic diversity and ecosystem services. Practical initiatives range from establishing elevation-adjusted planting programmes in butterfly overwintering reserves to large-scale monitoring of range contractions in sensitive conifers. Together, these measures aim to sustain forest biodiversity in a rapidly changing climate while preserving carbon storage, water regulation and cultural values.

Research from Nature Portfolio

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Climate Change Impacts on Forest Biodiversity and Conservation Strategies publication trend

The graph below shows the total number of articles in climate change impacts on forest biodiversity and conservation strategies across all publications each year (not limited to Nature Index journals).

Technical terms

Assisted migration: The deliberate translocation of species or populations to areas predicted to become climatically suitable under future scenarios.

Ecological niche modelling: A computational method to estimate species’ potential geographic distribution based on environmental variables and occurrence records.

Dryness index: A ratio expressing the balance between temperature-driven water demand and available precipitation, used to assess site aridity.

Provenance: The geographic origin of seed or plant material, often representing locally adapted genetic variation.

Nurse plant: An established plant that enhances the microclimate and soil conditions, improving survival and growth of planted or naturally regenerating seedlings.

References

1. Abies religiosa Seedling Limitations for Passive Restoration Practices at the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve in Mexico. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution (2020).
2. Reciprocal Common Garden Altitudinal Transplants Reveal Potential Negative Impacts of Climate Change on Abies religiosa Populations in the Monarch Butterfly Biosphere Reserve Overwintering Sites. Forests (2021).
3. Potential reduction of Hartweg´s Pine (Pinus hartwegii Lindl.) geographic distribution. PLOS ONE (2020).