Climate Refugia: Nature’s Safe Havens in a Changing Climate

What are Climate Refugia and why do they matter for Europe’s forests?

As climate change reshapes ecosystems across Europe, some places may prove especially important for helping species survive. These areas are known as climate refugia.

Climate refugia are locations where local conditions remain relatively stable despite broader climatic changes. In other words, they act as natural shelters where species and ecosystems can persist even as surrounding areas become warmer, drier, or otherwise less suitable for them.

In forests, climate refugia can take many forms. They may be cool mountain valleys, shaded slopes, moist river corridors, or other landscapes where local conditions help buffer species from the full effects of climate change. For plants, fungi, insects, birds and mammals, these areas can provide vital opportunities to survive, reproduce and maintain populations while conditions elsewhere become increasingly challenging.

This makes climate refugia particularly important for biodiversity conservation. As species respond to changing climates, not all will be able to move quickly enough to keep pace with shifting suitable habitats. Some populations may persist for decades or even centuries in climatically favourable pockets, creating valuable windows of opportunity for conservation action.

Identifying these areas is one of the challenges that SafeNet aims to address. The project will combine biodiversity data, forest information, climate projections and advanced modelling approaches to better understand how European forests and forest species may respond to future climate change. Among other objectives, SafeNet will map potential forest climate refugia and identify areas where biodiversity may be especially vulnerable in the future.

Climate refugia are also closely linked to another important concept being studied in SafeNet: connectivity. Even if a refuge remains suitable for species, isolated habitats may not be enough on their own. Connected landscapes and migration corridors can help species move between suitable areas, increasing their chances of adapting to changing conditions. For this reason, SafeNet is also investigating migration routes, connectivity bottlenecks and opportunities to improve the resilience of Europe’s forest conservation network.

Protecting biodiversity in a changing climate is not only about conserving the forests we value today. It is also about understanding which forests may become critical strongholds for species in the future. By identifying climate refugia and exploring how they can be conserved and connected, SafeNet aims to provide knowledge that supports more forward-looking forest conservation across Europe.