Connectivity for climate change adaptation in California

This spatial data identifies connectivity potential between natural lands in the present climate and natural lands with future analogous climate following topo-climatically diverse routes. Present-day land use, topographic diversity, and projections of shifting climate regimes were combined into a single connectivity modeling approach to identify pathways for mid-century shifts in species ranges. Climate linkages, or areas important for climate change-driven movement, were identified as the areas where the Omniscape model indicated more current flow than would be expected in the absence of climate considerations. The model was run for two different projections of future climate (CNRM_CM5 and HADGEM2-ES). Climate linkages from both models were overlaid with a strategic present-day connectivity framework to improve interpretation and to facilitate a more direct connection with conservation action.

This connectivity model is a structural, coarse filter approach that explicitly incorpora...