◆A paper by a research team led by Jioie Muriel Aquino dela Vega, a doctoral graduate of the Kuroshio Zone Integrated Science Program, and Associate Professor Motonori Higa of the Department of Science and Engineering in the Faculty of Natural Sciences 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 a research team led by Jioie Muriel Aquino dela Vega, a doctoral graduate of the Kuroshio Zone Integrated Science Program, and Associate Professor Motonori Higa of the Department of Science and Engineering in the Faculty of Natural Sciences has been 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: a Graduate School of Integrated Human and Natural Sciences, Kochi University; b Faculty of Science and Engineering, Kochi University; c Faculty of Science, University of the Ryukyus; d Think Nature Co ., Ltd.; d Kansai Branch, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute