A Partnership of U.S. Federal, State and Tribal Fish and Wildlife Agencies with support from the
Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies
Shared solutions to
protect shared values
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Photos: Chase Fountain, James Jordan, George Andrejko
www.wildlifeadaptationstrategy.gov
What is the Strategy?
A framework for coordinated action by multiple partners to reduce risks and impacts of climate change on U.S. natural resources and the people that depend on them.
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Why Develop A Climate Adaptation Strategy?
Our climate is changing
Ave air temps up 2 degrees F over last 50 years
Extreme storm events more frequent and intense
Ave sea levels rose 8” over last 100 years
Ocean temps and acidity
Loss of Arctic sea ice
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Climate Change Is Impacting Natural Resources
• Changes in species ranges
• Changes in migration
• Changes in timing of life history events
• Changes in species abundance (+/-)
• Pace, scale and scope of change is
expected to increase
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Why Develop A Climate Adaptation Strategy?
We depend on natural resources for vital services:
• Jobs
• Food
• Clean water and air
• Recreation
• Protection from storms, flooding
• Health services
• Place, culture and heritage5
Why Develop A Climate Adaptation Strategy?
We Need Coordinated Action
• Changes happening over large
scales
• Impacts cross administrative
boundaries
• No entity can do it alone
• Effective responses require
increased coordination6
Why Develop A Climate Adaptation Strategy?
Respond to Calls for Action
• Congressional call for Strategy (2010).• Administration call for Strategy (2010).• Many stakeholder calls for action…..
Why Develop a Climate Adaptation Strategy?
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Strategy Purpose
To inspire and enable natural resource managers, elected officials, andother decision makers to take action to adapt to a changing climate.
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Strategy Vision
Ecological systems will sustain healthy, diverse and abundant populations of fish, wildlife and plants.
Those systems will continue to provide valuable cultural, economic and environmental benefits in a world impacted by global climate change.
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Who is the Strategy for?
1. Federal, State, and Tribal natural resource decision-makers
2. Non-govt decision-makers (e.g., land owners, land trusts, private sector and others)
3. Decision-makers in other sectors (agriculture, transportation, urban, water resources, energy).
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How Was The Strategy Developed?
• Steering Committee• 15 Federal, 5 State, 2 Tribal
Agencies
• Management Team• FWS, NOAA, AFWA, GLIFWIC, BIA
• Technical Teams• 90+ Researchers and Managers• 8 Teams (by ecosystem type)• Federal, State, Tribal members
• Continuous engagement
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Linkages with other efforts
The NFWPCAS complements existing efforts by federal, state, tribal and other entities
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Federal Adaptation Plans
National Climate Assessment
National Climate Assessment
Freshwater Action
Plan
Freshwater Action
Plan
National Ocean Policy
National Ocean Policy
Fish Wildlife & Plants Strategy
Fish Wildlife & Plants Strategy
What does the Strategy Include?
PrefaceExecutive SummaryChapter 1. IntroductionChapter 2. Impacts of Climate Change on Fish, Wildlife,
and PlantsChapter 3. Climate Adaptation Strategies and Actions Chapter 4. Opportunities for Multiple SectorsChapter 5: ImplementationAppendices A – E: Supporting Materials; Glossary; Acronyms; Scientific
Names; Team Members and Acknowledgements
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Goals of the Strategy
1. Conserve and connect habitat
2. Manage species and habitats
3. Enhance management capacity
4. Support adaptive management
5. Increase knowledge and information
6. Increase awareness and motivate action
7. Reduce non-climate stressors 14
7 Goals22 strategies100+ actionsProgress Lists Case studies
Goal 1: Conserve and connect habitatStrategies:
1. Identify key areas needed for ecologically-connected habitat network resilient to climate change (4 actions)
2. Protect these areas to build network (5)3. Restore habitat for current and future resilience (6)4. Conserve, restore, and establish new ecological connections among conservation areas (6)
Progress Check List: Resilient areas identified Gap analysis completed – priority candidates identified Desired ecological connectivity identified Inventory of conservation areas completed Land protection tools evaluated and updated
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Goal 2: Manage species and habitatsStrategies:
1. Update and develop new species and habitat plans, programs and practices (9 actions)
2. Develop and apply climate-smart species-specific management (3)3. Conserve genetic diversity (5)
Progress Check List: Co-managers identified and engaged Species requiring active intervention identified Guidelines developed for translocation, assisted migration and
captive breeding Species and area management plans updated State Wildlife Action Plans updated
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Goal 3: Enhance management capacityStrategies:
1. Increase awareness and professional capacity of resource managers to design, implement, evaluate adaptation programs (7 actions)
2. Facilitate coordinated response at appropriate scales across govt and non-govt entities (6)
3. Review legal, regulatory, and policy frameworks to identify opportunities to improve (7)
4. Optimize use of existing funding to design, deliver, evaluate adaptation programs (6)
Progress Check List: Core curricula for climate adaptation identified Training opportunity and accessibility increased Landscape Conservation Coops engaged for inter-jurisdictional collaboration Criteria for including adaptation in existing grant programs developed 17
Goal 4: Support adaptive management Strategies:
1. Support distributed, integrated observation and information systems to detect and describe climate impacts (9 actions)
2. Identify, develop, and employ decision support tools for managing uncertainty (e.g. vulnerability assessments, scenario planning) (8)
Progress Check List: Public/private collaborative for climate change observation and information systems
convened Existing public and private observation systems interoperable Data collection standards for climate change metrics established Standardized climate change scenarios developed Framework of tools for managing under uncertainty developed Vulnerability and risk assessments conducted for priority species
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Goal 5: Increase knowledge and information
Strategies:1. Identify knowledge gaps and define research priorities (6 actions)2. Target research on adaptive capacity of species, communities, and ecosystems (5)3. Advance modeling and projection of climate change impacts (3)
Progress Check List: Inventory of knowledge gaps completed Research agenda developed Regional and sub-regional projections of climate change impacts completed Protocols and metrics for valuing ecosystem services developed New approaches linking atmospheric/climate models to ecological impact models
developed
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Goal 6: Increase awareness and motivate action
Strategies:1. Increase public awareness and understanding of climate impacts to natural
resources and ecosystem services (4 actions)2. Engage the public through education, outreach and stewardship opportunities
(6)3. Coordinate climate change communications across jurisdictions (3)
Progress Check List: Focused outreach to key decision makers is initiated Improved information about climate change and fish, wildlife, and plants
developed and delivered to key audiences Citizen-science programs monitoring climate impacts developed Collaborations with zoos, aquaria, museums etc expanded
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Goal 7: Reduce non-climate stressors Strategies:
1. Slow and reverse habitat loss and fragmentation (8 actions)2. Slow, mitigate, and reverse ecosystem degradation from anthropogenic sources (8)3. Use, evaluate and improve programs to prevent and address threats from invasive species
and pathogens (7)4. Coordinate climate change communications across jurisdictions (3)
Progress Check List: Regional and local land-use, water resource, coastal, and marine planners engaged Collaborations with farmers/ranchers expanded Disruptive floodplain infrastructure reduced/removed Invasive species and disease monitoring systems established Multiple barriers to invasive species introduction in place
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Opportunities for Multiple Sectors in Fish, Wildlife, and Plant Climate Adaptation
• Agriculture, Energy, Transportation and other sectors have key roles
• Natural habitats can also reduce impacts of climate change on these sectors
• Identifies key opportunities for win-win solutions in responding to climate change
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Strategy Implementation 1. Five to ten-year time horizon
2. Agencies and partners incorporate appropriate elements of Strategy in their plans and actions
• Responsibilities for federal, state and tribal agencies
• Key roles for regional collaboratives (e.g., Landscape Conservation Cooperatives, Climate Science Centers and others)
• Agendas for the scientific and education communities
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Strategy Implementation (cont.) 3. Intergovernmental Implementation Working Group
to:• Promote awareness, understanding, and use of
Strategy• Actively engage conservation partners, natural
resource industries, and private landowners• Assess progress, and • Guide revision of Strategy, based on progress
towards goals and future National Climate Assessments
Result: Coordinated, effective action by many partners across scales that increase resilience
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NOAA is already taking action….
Goal 1: Conserve and connect habitat•Guide for Considering Potential Climate Change Effects on Coastal and Estuarine Land Conservation Projects•Guidance on Designing Restoration Projects to Account for Climate Change (Great Lakes and Northeast coastal areas)
Goal 2: Manage species and habitats•Climate-Smart Sanctuaries•Climate Change Adaptation for Coral Triangle Communities: Guide for Vulnerability Assessment and Local Early Action Planning•North Pacific Climate Regimes and Ecosystem Productivity Program 25
Climate.gov
NOAA is already taking action…Goal 3: Enhance management capacity•Digital Coast - Sea Level Rise Viewer
Goal 4: Support adaptive management•Sentinel Sites
Goal 5: Increase knowledge and information•Climate Sensitivity Analysis of NERRS•NERRS Science Collaborative -climate change impacts on estuaries and communities•Fish Stock Vulnerability Assessment Tool
Goal 6: Increase Awareness and Motivate Action•Climate Literacy Principles and Climate Stewards
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www.csc.noaa.gov/digitalcoast
Some next steps…
• Identify existing efforts that support implementation
• Identify possible future efforts• Communicate NOAA current and future
roles• Shape implementation work group• Engage partners
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Partners:Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Animal & Plant Health Inspection Service, U.S. Department of Defense, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, Northwest Indian Fisheries Commission, National Park Service, California Department of Fish & Game, Council on Environmental Quality, U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission, Natural Resources Conservation Service, New York, Division of Fish, Wildlife & Marine Resources, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Farm Service Agency, Tulalip Tribe, U.S. Forest Service, Great Lakes Indian Fish & Wildlife Commission, Georgia Department of Natural Resources, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, Maryland Department of Natural Resources, Wildlife and Heritage Service, Massachushetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife, Yakama Nation, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife, Nevada Department of Wildlife, Oregon Department of State Lands, Pennsylvania Fish and Boat Commission, Miccosukee Tribe, Columbia Intertribal Fish Commission, Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection Inland Fisheries Division, Passamaquoddy Tribe at Pleasant Point
Shared solutions to
protect shared values
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Photos: Chase Fountain, James Jordan, George Andrejko