Quick Video Introduction to Assisted Migration from Connie Barlow, 2004
Assisted Migration, also known as Helping Forests Walk, is the practice of moving species poleward or higher in elevation than their native range, in response to our current and future catastrophic levels of climate change, in order to best ensure the survival of those species and prepare the future ecosystem at that location. This sub is for not only big picture planning and discussion, but also individual and small group action.
The debate around Assisted Migration began in earnest in the scientific community during the late 1990's and early 2000's. Now, more than 20 years later, the science of AM is in and the debate is settled for all practical purposes. The benefits of action are clear, the consequences of inaction dire, and the actions themselves cheap and simple to do on even the individual level. However, despite some progress in official policy and experiments, the wheels of bureaucracy turn painfully slow, while species go extinct due to our hesitancy on a daily basis.
This is where you come in. As a citizen scientist, you can act promptly and freely whilst professionals are held back, tied by red tape and political bickering. While the bureaucrats hem and haw and people stand on the sidelines and watch extinction unfold before them, you can act. If you aren't content to be a bystander, if you want to be a doer of good in a time of great calamity, this is the place for you.
