◆A paper Faculty of Science and Technology led by Doctoral Course Muriel Aquino dela Faculty of Science and Technology, Doctoral CourseKuroshio Science ProgramDoctoral Course, and Faculty of Science and Technology has been published in *Global Ecology and Conservation*.
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Study Reveals That Japanese Nature Reserves Function as Habitats for Temperate Vascular Plants Even in the Face of Global Warming
A paper by Doctoral Course Muriel Aquino dela Vega, Doctoral CourseKuroshio Science ProgramDoctoral Course, Faculty of Science and Technology a research team led by Associate Professor Faculty of Science and Technology was published in *Global Ecology and Conservation*, with the online version released on June 2, 2025.
Biodiversity on Earth is on the decline due to land-use changes caused by human activities and climate change. Various protected areas have been established around the world with the aim of mitigating the impact of human activities on regions with high biodiversity. However, it has not been clear whether these areas can continue to effectively conserve biodiversity under conditions of advancing global warming.
A research group led by dela Vega used species distribution prediction models and climate simulation data to estimate the current and post-warming potential ranges of 2,260 common temperate vascular plant species, and examined whether the effectiveness of biodiversity conservation would be maintained even as global warming progresses.The analysis revealed that, consistent with many previous studies, while a reduction in the potential ranges of the target species is predicted, only a limited number of species are expected to lose their potential ranges entirely within protected areas.
These results suggest that the current network of protected areas—particularly those in the Central Mountainous Region—contributes to the conservation of common temperate vascular plant species even under conditions of advancing global warming.
Title: Effectiveness of Protected Areas for Plant Species Diversity Conservation under a Changing Climate
Authors: dela Vega, J.M.A. a), Higa, M. b), Kubota, Y. c,d), Nakao, K. e)
Affiliation: Graduate SchoolGraduate School of Integrated Arts and SciencesFaculty of Science and Technology Technology; c University of the Ryukyus Faculty of Faculty; d Think Nature Co., Ltd.; d Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, Kansai Branch