Hotter, drier seasons with associated reductions in rainfall, and extreme weather events are increasing the daily pressures on our ecosystems and native species.
These changes can affect animal and plant populations in many ways. Reduced rainfall shortens growing seasons and decreases the availability of food, habitat and water. Higher temperatures impose extreme physiological stresses on animals and plants, which can lead to reduced breeding success or increased mortality rates.
Collectively, all of these changes are expected to magnify the impacts of habitat fragmentation, habitat degradation, invasive species, and extreme floods, fires and droughts.
As a result, Trust for Nature has joined forces with other agencies and research bodies to address these ongoing challenges. We are increasingly focussed on helping protect land for restoration, for connectivity as habitat refuge, and building long-term capacity for ecosystems and the species in those landscapes to survive in the future.
Our protected areas already store over 12 million tonnes of CO2, the equivalent of taking four million cars off Victorian roads each year, and thanks to ongoing support, these carbon stores are increasing.