Session: WK 26 - Conservation in the 21st Century: Saving Species and Ecosystems from Climate Change by Translocation to New, More Climatically Suitable Regions


Tuesday, August 5, 2008: 11:30 AM-1:15 PM
Wright C, Hilton
WK 26 - Conservation in the 21^st Century: Saving Species and Ecosystems from Climate Change by Translocation to New, More Climatically Suitable Regions
"Assisted migration" or "assisted colonization" is the policy of deliberately translocating species beyond their native ranges as a tool for conserving biodiversity under climate change (McLachlan et al. 2007). As a conservation strategy, it has promise, but also many risks. For instance, we may save species from extinction, but inadvertently introduce species that become invasive and cause extinctions in turn. This workshop will present the first results of an NSF-sponsored working group charged with evaluating the pros and cons of assisted migration. (The working group will have met for three days immediately preceding ESA.) The workshop also will feature open discussion and completion of a survey regarding scientific and ethical issues of assisted migration that will guide future research by the working group. McLachlan et al. 2007. Conservation Biology 21: 297-302.
Organizer:	Jessica J. Hellmann, University of Notre Dame
Co-organizers:	Jason McLachlan, University of Notre Dame Mark W. Schwartz, University of California - Davis Dov F. Sax, Brown University