Resilient Wild Framework for Measuring Animal Adaptation Capacity Against Environmental Change

Abstract

Wildlife population performance can vary in its adaptability, capability to adapt, and recovery from disturbances caused by its environment, yet there is no established system to determine capacity for adaptation in the conservation field. Most resilience studies deal with behavioral, physiological, and habitat approaches separately, which makes the study insufficient to understand how contribute as a whole to the persistence of wildlife populations. The article presents the Resilient Wildlife Concept, an innovative theoretical model providing a comprehensive analysis of behavioral flexibility, physiological stress tolerance, and habitat conditions to determine the total capacity for adaptation. The model makes use of the results obtained from research on wildlife behavior during climate-related disease, microbiome adaptability, and climate adaptation strategies, as well as data-driven environmental conservation. Using different sustainability indicators, this model allows comparing the adaptation ability of different species and populations as well as for other situations. Though the model is not tested in a wildlife environment yet, it is a good foundation for future planned conservation efforts.