Open AccessForward Planning for Scottish Gardens in the Face of Climate Change
Author(s) -
Christine D. Smart,
Alan Elliott
Publication year - 2015
Publication title -
sibbaldia
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2513-9231
DOI - 10.24823/sibbaldia.2015.79
Subject(s) - climate change , envelope (radar) , building envelope , environmental resource management , geography , face (sociological concept) , climate model , environmental science , ecology , computer science , meteorology , biology , telecommunications , radar , social science , thermal , sociology
The impact of climate change and its effects on gardens has so far received limited academic attention. This paper offers a partial correction of this imbalance by investigating the potential impact of climate change on a selection of common Scottish garden plants. A climate envelope modelling approach was taken, whereby wild species distribution data were used to build climate ‘envelopes’ or descriptions of the native climates of selected species. The envelope models were projected onto future climate scenarios for Scotland, allowing observations to be made regarding the climatic suitability of Scotland, both currently and into the future, for each of the plants studied. The models and predictions for four species are described here along with strengths and limitations of the methodology. It is suggested that this approach, or variations of it, could become a useful tool in forward planning for gardens in assisting efforts to mitigate the effect of climate change.