Climbe Workshop

Climbe Workshop
“Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss: The Effects on Ecosystem Services in Tropical Forests in Central America”

The Workshop will present the results of the research project “Climate Change and Biodiversity Loss: The Effects on Ecosystem Services in Tropical Forests in Central America ”, carried out jointly by the Basque Centre for Climate Change (BC3) and the Tropical Agricultural Research and Higher Education Centre of Costa Rica (CATIE).

Biodiversity loss is expected to accelerate in the near future stressed by climate change. This will affect the functioning of the ecosystems and the goods and services they provide to humans.  As biodiversity decreases, we are losing species and varieties of species, as well as goods and services. This raises the issue of the impact on the welfare of current and future populations and the role of human in the exploitation of natural resources.

The aim of this collaboration has been to assess the impacts of Climate Change on the tropical forest ecosystem of Central America, in order to better understand the consequences, increase scientific knowledge and persuade policy action in this area. 

The analysis is focused on  tropical forests in Central America; however both the methodology used and the implications derived can be easily transferred to other ecosystems and geographical regions, and will serve to assist the design of effective conservation policies.

The research is built on a combination of different models, where both the ecological and economic implications of Climate Change are studied together. A specific methodological framework has been developed to assess  the changes in the provision of ecosystem services and the economic losses that can be expected under different climatic scenarios.

Basically the theoretical framework is based on an integrated approach which combines ecological models with land use and economic models, in order to derive impacts and social costs.

• Biophysical models
  The biophysical models were based on changes in equilibrium vegetation and water cycle (runoff) using a biogeography model (MAPSS) that simulates the soil-vegetation-atmosphere transfer. The likelihood of the changes in vegetation and water cycle was estimated for 136 climate scenarios, comprising 23 general circulation models (GCMs) and three groups of greenhouse gas emission scenarios (B1, A1B, and A2).
• Land Use models
  A specific case study was carried out to analyze the Biological Corridor Volcanica Central Talamanca (CBVCT), using satellite images and aerial photographs to create different sets of land use maps. A multi-temporal land use change analysis was performed and land use capacity, relief and ecological connectivity networks maps were created. The IDRISIS’s Land Use Change Modeler was employed to generate a 2030 land use scenario.
• Economic Models
  For the economic impacts a specific methodological framework was developed based on a combination of monetary valuation techniques to assess timber, carbon, water and cultural services. A common bottom-up estimation platform was built to monetize the value of services, including market and non market values, conducting meta-analyses and benefit transfers, and using production functions.

This Research Project has been financed under the 2009 grant program on Biodiversity Conservation of the BBVA Foundation.

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