COS 187-3 - Protected areas buffer thermal habitats against climate change

Abstract: Climate change is pushing temperatures beyond the thermal tolerance of many species and communities, and exposes them to local extinction risks. Whether and how protected areas can serve as modern climate refugia to buffer microclimate for biodiversity is critical but has not been explored globally so far. Here we find that protected areas of natural vegetation effectively cool the land surface temperature (LST), particularly the daily maximum LST in the tropics, and reduce diurnal range and seasonal variation of LST in both boreal and temperate biomes, as compared to nonprotected areas that are often disturbed or converted to various land uses. Protected areas buffer climate change by slowing down the land surface and atmospheric warming along a latitudinal gradient, which is particularly important for species and communities at higher latitudes, where climate warming is more pronounced than at lower latitudes. Moreover, nonprotected areas of the same vegetation type as protected areas have lower canopy leaf area and reduced buffering capacity, indicating the greater climate stabilization potential of preserved vegetation. Our findings highlight that protected areas have the potential to serve as thermal refugia for biodiversity since they can effectively maintain local microclimates to buffer species and communities against climate change.