Iberia change is the outcome of two countries joining forces for addressing the impacts of climate change on biodiversity. This is a unique and timely initiative. Environmental impacts know no political boundaries and climate change is here to remind us.
Because of its shared biogeograhical history, the Iberian Peninsula is also an ideal unit for studying biodiversity. This is the place where many species were born and several came to die. It is also a region with a disproportionate importance for European biodiversity conservation. The Peninsula accounts for less than 6% of the total area of western Europe, but it harbours as much as 50% of the European flora and fauna. The rate of endemism is extraordinary high: 31% of approximately 900 European endemic plant and terrestrial vertebrate species occur on the peninsula.
Now times are changing. The Iberian Peninsula is becoming warmer and drier. Will biodiversity withstand an increasingly arid Peninsula that is also crowded with people? The Iberia change project will investigate these challenges and seek to provide guidance for effective conservation policy. Action to migitate climate change impacts on biodiversity is urgently required, but because conservation resources are scarce it needs to be carefully targeted. There is no time for “try and see” policies and science must play a critical role for prioritization of conservation policies.
It would be sad if our generation was not able to leave our children with a natural world to wander. But it would be even worse if we left them without enough sources of wonder. The Iberian biodiversity is one of such wonders and Iberian Change will seek to contribute by helping decision makers making appropriate choices regarding the conservation of biodiversity in Spain and Portugal.
Miguel B. Araújo
Project Leader, Iberia Change