Biodiversity and Climate Change: A Two-Way Street

The threat that climate change poses to animals and wildlife around the world has made combating it one of The Nature Conservancy’s top priorities.

Experts predict that one-fourth of Earth’s species will be headed for extinction by 2050 if the warming trend continues at its current rate. And Conservancy scientists see climate change as the biggest threat to our mission of protecting nature and to the many investments in lands and waters we have made over the past 60 years.

As temperatures rise, so do the risks to humans, including heat-related illness, flooding and severe storm impacts in coastal areas, and insect-borne diseases.

We Want to Hear from You

Tell us what you think about our climate change work. What do you think are the biggest impacts of climate change?

Alaskan Arctic Coastlands
Threat: Rising temperatures due to climate change are expected to cause a decrease in Alaska’s coastal ice pack, threatening the survival of polar bears and other species.

Action: The Nature Conservancy is working with partners to develop and implement a comprehensive strategy to ensure the long-term, biological health of Alaska’s arctic coastlands, even in the face of global climate change.
(Back to map)

New Mexico
Threat: There is strong scientific evidence indicating that the condition of southwestern grasslands has declined due to climate change, land-use and other factors, threatening the habitat of the lesser prairie chicken (photo left), the black-tailed prairie dog and migratory birds.

Action: Working with the Bureau of Land Management and the U.S. Agricultural Research Service, the Conservancy is preparing analyses that depict current condition and restoration opportunities throughout New Mexico’s grasslands.  (Back to map)

North Carolina
Threat: Rising sea levels threaten the diverse landscape of North Carolina’s Albemarle Peninsula, an area with intense biodiversity, and home to a range of plant and animal life, including the red wolf (photo left), which was once extinct in the wild.

Action: The Conservancy is adjusting its conservation planning strategies in the area to anticipate a rise in sea-level and has developed several tactics to help slow the inundation of the Albemarle Peninsula and the transformation of the ecosystems there. (Back to map)

Florida Keys
Threat: Climate change is warming the oceans and stressing Florida’s coral reefs, causing increased vulnerability to disease and bleaching.

Action: As part of the Florida Reef Resilience Program, Conservancy scientists are working to restore staghorn coral (photo left) to the reef system through a unique cultivation program that anticipates where and which species of corals are most likely to survive the effects of climate change. (Back to map)

Rio Bravo, Belize
Threat: Deforestation in northwest Belize releases carbon dioxide, hampers sequestration efforts and destroys the habitat of endangered species such as the black howler monkey (photo left).

Action: Our Rio Bravo climate action project involves the conservation and sustainable management of more than 153,000 acres of forest in northwest Belize. The project keeps carbon dioxide out of the atmosphere and maintains species habitat by protecting standing forests. (Back to map)

Noel Kempff Mercado, Bolivia
Threat: Logging and agricultural conversion of the rich and densely forested land surrounding Bolivia’s Noel Kempff Mercado National Park hampers carbon sequestration efforts and threatens the existing safe range for species requiring large tracts of land, including the jaguar (photo left).

Action: The 1.5 million-acre Noel Kempff Mercado Climate Action Project is expected to prevent the release of 17.8 million tons of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere over 30 years by protecting forests around the park. It also doubles the jaguar’s local habitat. (Back to map)

Guaraqueçaba, Brazil
Threat: Widespread deforestation and burning in Brazil’s tropical forests is a major driver of climate change and threatens the habitat of at least 15 species of endangered birds, including the red-tailed parrot (photo left).

Action: The Conservancy seeks to restore and protect approximately 50,000 acres of tropical forest within the Guaraqueçaba area of southern Brazil to avoid or mitigate significant amounts of carbon dioxide emissions and protect valuable, contiguous habitats. (Back to map)

Rift Valley Forests, Africa
Threat: The widespread destruction of equatorial rainforests such as Africa’s Rift Valley is a major driver of climate change and also threatens animal habitat. 

Action: The Conservancy works with local communities and groups on reforestation projects and on strengthening the enforcement of laws designed to protect natural resources. This work will help reduce deforestation, mitigate climate change and protect species such as the baboon (photo left) that live in the forest.
(Back to map)

Yunnan Province, China
Threat: Widespread deforestation in China’s Yunnan Province releases carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, hampers sequestration efforts and threatens the habitat of species including the snub-nosed monkey (photo left).

Action: We helped develop the Climate Community & Biodiversity standards and implement those standards in the Tengchong Forest in Yunnan Province. The project will reforest close to 1,200 acres in the region with native trees and train the local population on sustainable land management practices. (Back to map)

Gondwana Link, Australia
Threat: Climate change, agriculture and invasive species threaten Australia’s Gondwana Link, home to 25 percent of Australia’s plant species and unusual creatures like the malleefowl (photo left).

Action: The Conservancy provides funding and conservation planning support to six Australian conservation organizations that seeks to restore this important area of biodiversity—and help it adapt to the effects of climate change. (Back to map)

Kimbe Bay, Papua New Guinea
Threat: The reefs of Papua New Guinea’s Kimbe Bay are threatened by coral bleaching brought on by climate change. The reefs are teeming with rare species including the hawksbill turtle (photo left) and the pygmy seahorse.

Action:  The Conservancy has established a network of locally managed marine protected areas that are among the first in the world to incorporate principles of coral reef resilience to withstand impacts from climate change. (Back to map)

• Alaska
  (PDF, 115 KB, new window)
• Arkansas
  (PDF, 145 KB, new window)
• Connecticut
  (PDF, 192 KB, new window)
• Louisiana
  (PDF, 138 KB, new window)

• Massachusetts
  (PDF, 925 KB, new window)
• New Jersey
  (PDF, 264 KB, new window)
• New York
  (PDF, 3.37 MB, new window)