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

Common solutions to protect common values

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Photos: Chuck Olsen, Tom Woodward, Jane Pellicciotto, Lynette Schimming

www.wildlifeadaptationstrategy.gov