Refugia or at risk? Alpine snowbank communities in the face of climate change

High‐elevation alpine snowbank communities across the globe form where deep snow persists late into the growing season, creating unique environmental conditions. These plant communities support species assemblages not found elsewhere. Given the strong dependency of snowbank community composition on the persistence of snow, they may be particularly sensitive to climate change. However, alpine snowbanks may serve as climate refugia vis‐a‐vis buffering of environmental change by snow or soil moisture. Here, highlighting the Presidential Range of the White Mountains (New Hampshire, USA) as a focal system, we assess the risk posed by climate change to snowbank communities by analyzing the viability of possible refugia mechanisms. After conducting a literature review to summarize the current state of knowledge, we suggest these potential refugia may benefit some plant species but will not facilitate preservation of snowbank communities as historically composed. We identify management strategies for preserving critical ecosystem services under different climate scenarios. We then outline a monitoring strategy to detect threats to these systems in order to prioritize snowbank community biological resources and model their environmental tolerances. These strategies would create a framework that could help managers to support snowbank community stewardship in the face of climate change driven community restructuring.