Restoration under Climate Change: anticipating shifting goalposts (#18)
Climate change is transforming the landscape and with it the priorities for restoration sites and goals. Mediterranean Australia is recognised as one of the most vulnerable regions to the effects of climate change. While restoration has previously focussed on anthropogenic impacts such as eutrophication, in the now drying climate (a 15% decline in rainfall and 55% decline in runoff since 1975 in SW WA), the focus must be on which sites can retain water into the future, and issues such as connectivity become paramount. Climate change has forced us to consider restoration at the landscape scale rather than as individual sites. However, the necessity to mitigate multiple anthropogenic stressors, that reduce the resilience of wetlands to adapt to climate change, is still a major driver. A key element of restoration must now be getting the best predictions of climate change together with anthropogenic impacts, to ensure investment in restoration will provide long-term benefit. This paper outlines the use of spatial risk assessment tools to predict climate change impacts and allow rational prioritisation of restoration sites and projects to maximise biodiversity and resilience.