Climate change perception in the Natural Space of Sierra Nevada

Mountains constitute hot spots of the effects of climate change. Their orography creates climate gradients in short distances, which makes them especially vulnerable to rising temperatures. For this reason, mountains are considered observatories where the first effects of climate change can be seen. They also possess a great biodiversity in reduced areas due to species evolving in partial isolation. An alteration of these ecosystems has diverse consequences for the mountain populations and downstream regions that benefit from their water supply and ecosystem services.

Sierra Nevada is a mountain range located in the south of the Iberian Peninsula which has a double climate change hot spot condition by being in the Mediterranean. Sierra Nevada is a protected area with Natural Park and National Park status, which together constitute the Natural Space of Sierra Nevada. It is considered a privileged zone for the early detection of the effects of global change.

Climate change is a topic of discussion that is getting more attention and awareness on recent years, and the perception of its risks by communities and individuals is related to their ability to respond and adapt. This study shows the results of a survey whose purpose was to assess how the inhabitants of the Natural Space of Sierra Nevada and people who visit it frequently experiment and adapt to climate change and what opinions do they have about this topic. The survey had an online format and was sent by email to different associations, entities, mountain clubs and researchers in the region. The questions referred exclusively to the Natural Space, and the parameters that were evaluated were the concern about climate change, the adaptation strategies taken, the perception of vulnerability, the changes perceived and experimented and opinions about the responsibilities in mitigating climate change and about the quality of the information they have about climate change in the region.

 

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This research was financed by the project “Thematic Center on Mountain Ecosystem & Remote sensing, Deep learning-AI e-Services University of Granada-SierraNevada”(LifeWatch-2019-10-UGR-01), which has been co-funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation through the FEDER funds from the Spanish Pluriregional Operational Program2014-2020 (POPE), LifeWatch-ERIC action line and co-financed by the Provincial Council of Granada, , the project P20_00035 funded by FEDER/Junta de Andalucía-Consejería de Transformación Económica, Industria, Conocimiento y Universidades, and by the project PID2021-126401OB-I00 funded by MCIN/AEI/ 10.13039/501100011033/FEDER Una manera de hacer Europa.