A climate‐change vulnerability and adaptation assessment for Brazil's protected areas

Brazil's protected areas, spanning vast tropical ecosystems, face significant climate change vulnerability, with 17 sites (20,611 km²) deemed highly vulnerable. These are primarily located in the Atlantic Forest, Cerrado, and Amazon biomes, where severe climatic changes and potential vegetation transitions threaten biodiversity and traditional human livelihoods. The assessment, combining climate hazard indicators with resilience metrics like size and native vegetation cover, identified 258 moderately vulnerable sites (756,569 km²), mostly in Amazonia. Over 80% of these at-risk areas are managed by indigenous populations, highlighting dual threats to biodiversity and cultural heritage. The study suggests prioritizing adaptation strategies for highly or moderately vulnerable sites while noting that 870 protected areas may require minimal intervention due to low climate hazard or high resilience.

Lapola, D. M., Silva, J. M. C. d., Braga, D. R., Carpigiani, L., Ogawa, F., Torres, R. R., Barbosa, L. C. F., Ometto, J. P. H. B., & Joly, C. A. (2019). A climate‐change vulnerability and adaptation assessment for Brazil’s protected areas. Conservation Biology, 34(2), 427–437. Portico. https://doi.org/10.1111/cobi.13405