Identifying critical areas for conservation : biodiversity and climate change in Central America, Mexico, and the Dominican Republic

Abstract

Given the rapidity and intensity of anthropogenic impacts on natural systems, assessing the effectiveness of current protected areas in preserving biodiversity is especially important in Mesoamerica and the Caribbean, which contain a wide array of species and ecosystems. In light of the growing need to consider climate change in policymaking, combining climate change projections with biodiversity maps allows scientists and decision-makers to understand possible climate change impacts on biodiversity. In this study, we use GIS to identify spatial relationships between regional climate change models and species habitat ranges for Mesoamerica and the Caribbean.