Biologists working with endangered species have begun planning assisted migrations of whole species in order to protect biodiversity from extreme climate change.

Considered too far-fetched even a decade ago, these “managed relocations” may be necessary to preserve species ill-equipped to handle the rapidly changing environmental conditions caused by global warming. According to researcher Jessica Hellman of the University of Notre Dame (via U.S. News & World Report):

It is becomingly overwhelmingly evident that climate change is a reality; and it is fast and large. Consequences will arise within decades, not centuries. So action seems much more important now than it did even five or 10 years ago when atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases were lower. Now, we are committed to greater degrees of climate change.

Opponents of the measure say there is no telling how organisms will react to their new environments. Managed relocations have been a source of controversy among biologists who worry that introduced species could compete with indigenous fauna and become invasive, like the Zebra Mussels of the Great Lakes. With this in mind, scientists at the NSF have developed a mechanism that would give stakeholders–local governments and communities–the ability to weigh costs and benefits of relocation. Although biologists will be involved in all relocation efforts, the new system would ultimately put the onus on stakeholders and policy makers to weigh environmental risks.

Biologists warn that for some critically endangered species, inaction could spell extinction. Although species have been able to adapt to natural climate change in the past through evolution or migration, contemporary changes in climate may be happening too rapidly for those same species to keep up. Urban development also serves as a barrier to migration, blocking pathways to new habitats.

In addition to assisted migration, the report also considers the possibility of creating government-protected migratory corridors that could stretch for thousands of kilometers as well as preserving plant biodiversity by creating seed banks.

photo credit: dixiehwy’s Flickr photostream (creative commons)