Climate-driven erosion of richness and evolutionary diversity and conservation shortfall in a salamander hotspot

This work addresses the survival of plethodontid salamanders in Nuclear Central America, a global biodiversity and endemism hotspot. By modeling 35 specialized species, the study reveals that over 70% face severe range contractions by 2060 due to warming and cloud forest fragmentation. It further assesses how different governance regimes shape conservation outcomes, finding that collaborative and subnational management significantly buffer biodiversity loss. The result is an urgent, evidence-based blueprint for climate-resilient regional planning, aimed at preserving essential evolutionary legacies and montane refugia.