What climate adaptation can learn from evolutionary adaptation.

Area of Science:

• Ecology and evolutionary biology
• Conservation science
• Environmental change adaptation

Background:

• Both evolutionary adaptation (natural selection) and climate adaptation (human choices) address environmental change.
• Adaptation aims for favorable outcomes but can lead to maladaptation (harmful results).
• Conservation can benefit from evolutionary biology's understanding of adaptation effectiveness and failure.

Purpose of the Study:

• Introduce a framework comparing evolutionary and climate adaptation.
• Identify parallels and distinctions to enhance climate adaptation strategies.
• Highlight best practices to mitigate maladaptation in conservation.

Main Methods:

• Developed a comparative framework for evolutionary and climate adaptation.
• Identified four common causes of maladaptation: lack of diversity, trade-offs, signal loss, and shifting targets.
• Applied evolutionary principles to a climate adaptation case study, considering social dimensions.

Main Results:

• Lack of diversity, trade-offs, loss of signal, and shifting targets are shared causes of maladaptation.
• Evolutionary insights suggest diverse portfolios, innovative strategies, integrated monitoring, and flexible refinement mitigate maladaptation risks.
• Differences in goal-setting and evaluation offer opportunities for intentional, inclusive decision-making in climate adaptation.

Conclusions:

• Climate adaptation can be improved by integrating evolutionary principles and acknowledging potential failures.
• A dynamic, learning-oriented approach enhances resilience and effectiveness in conservation adaptation.
• Intentional, inclusive decision-making, informed by evolutionary insights, is crucial for successful climate adaptation.