Protected areas on the move – how many of the habitat types we will lose by climate change?

Will we lose Germany’s current terrestrial habitat types due to increasing drought, heat, or other changing climatic and hydrological parameters? Which habitat types can we preserve in their typical form for the future, and how many will transform into other habitat types? What management plans will be necessary to support the preservation or change of habitats? Using the state of Brandenburg as an example, a comprehensive two-year study conducted by the Chair of Disturbance Ecology in cooperation with the PIK (Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research) is addressing precisely these questions. The background to this is the reporting requirement for all federal states regarding the current and future conditions of all habitat types under the European Restoration Act.