a new era for conservation: safeguarding wildlife from global warming patty glick senior global...
Post on 21-Dec-2015
217 views
TRANSCRIPT
A New Era for Conservation:
Safeguarding Wildlife from Global Warming
Patty GlickSenior Global Warming SpecialistNational Wildlife Federation
“The Future is Not What it Used to Be”
“The Future is Not What it Used to Be”
Responses to Global Warming
• Mitigation– Addresses causes of global
warming– Focus on reducing greenhouse
gas emissions
• Adaptation– Addresses impacts of global
warming on people and ecosystems
– Focus on coping strategies or safeguards
Increasing Interest in Adaptation
Scientific Papers on AdaptationSource: Heller and Zavaleta, 2009
Print Media News Articles on AdaptationSource: Moser, in prep
Examining the State of Play• Adaptation 2009
– Convened major national conference in February with leaders in policy and practice
• Carried out exhaustive review of adaptation literature– “A New Era for
Conservation”
• http://ncseonline.org/WHPRP/NWF/Adaptation2009/
Definitions of Adaptation─ “Traditional” adaptation
─ “Managed” adaptation“Initiatives and measures designed to reduce the vulnerability of natural and human systems against actual or expected climate change effects” (IPCC WGIII, 2007)
Changes in an organism’s behavior, physiology, or other characteristics that enhance its survival in a new environment
Messaging Challenges• Problems with “Adaptation”
– Conflicts with prior usage in biology– Unintelligible jargon to the public– Sounds defeatist to some
• Alternatives include:– Safeguarding– Coping– Preparing for and Responding to...
• Need to link ecosystems with human benefit– Safeguarding Nature for People and Wildlife
(Overcoming) Barriers to Adaptation
• Lack of knowledge of impacts
• Psychological and institutional barriers
• Uncertainty
• Lack of resources
• Political will
― Research, workshops, info-sharing― Adaptive management, scenario planning― Reevaluate goals, policies, procedures― Dedicate funding, prioritize― Encourage leadership
Key Adaptation Concepts• Anticipatory vs. Reactive
– Preparing for change in advance– Responding to after-the-fact damage
• Human and Natural Systems– Addressing impacts on human
communities and gray infrastructure will be extremely costly
– Need to ensure impacts on wildlife and ecosystems are addressed
Key Adaptation Concepts• Resilience and Resistance
– Resilience refers to ability of a system to bounce back from disturbance and return to a functional state
– Resistance refers to ability of a system to withstand disturbance without significant loss of function
• Facilitating Change– Accepting a new “functional
state”
Overarching Adaptation Principles
1. Reduce other, non-climate stressors
Stormwater runoff Invasive species
Habitat fragmentation
Overarching Principles2. Manage for ecological function
and biological diversity
Salmon ESUs
Coral reefs
Grasslands
Overarching Principles3. Improve habitat connectivity to
allow plant and animal species to shift ranges
Natural streamflows
Migration corridors
Overarching Principles4. Implement proactive management
and restoration strategies
Cold-water spill
Assisted accretion
Translocation
Overarching Principles5. Embrace uncertainty through
increased monitoring and adaptive management
Ongoing monitoring
Flexibility
Designing Adaptation Strategies
3. Evaluatemanagement
options
4. Develop management
response
5. Implementmanagement
and monitoringstrategies
1. Select conservation
target
2. Assess climate change
impacts and vulnerability
6. Reviewand revise
Assessing VulnerabilityVulnerability = (Sensitivity + Exposure) -
AdaptabilityVulnerability Assessment
Considerations:– Decision processes– Biological level
• Species, habitats, ecosystem processes
– Spatial scale– Available data– Cost– Time
• Sea-level rise is direct and certain
Example: A Focus on Sea-Level Rise
• Important coastal habitats are at risk
• Coastal communities are at risk
Sea Level Affecting Marshes Model (SLAMM), Version 5.0
Sea Level Affecting Marshes Model (SLAMM), Version 5.0
• Multiple Scenarios– Accelerated sea-level
rise at 25-year time steps
• Localized Factors (Relative Sea-Level Rise)– Rates of
sedimentation, marsh accretion, tectonic processes, etc.
Areas We Have Modeled
Winter 2009
Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge
Initial Condition
Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge
11.2 in. by 2050 (IPCC A1B Max)
Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge
27.3 in. by 2100 (IPCC A1B Max)
Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge
Initial Condition
Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge
11.2 in. by 2050 (No
Dikes)
Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge
27.3 in. by 2100 (No
Dikes)
Nisqually National Wildlife Refuge
Additional Information Needs• Localized
geomorphology, dynamic accretion processes
• More detailed coastal elevation data (LiDAR)
• Specific impacts on species and ecosystems • Interaction with additional climate and non-climate stressors
We Cannot Let Uncertainty Delay
Action!
Adaptation StrategiesPrioritize restoration project
sites• Identify sites based on ecological importance and vulnerability• Expand and/or revise already existing restoration projects
Establish and/or preserve ecological buffers
• Identify potential for upland protection (e.g., marginal agricultural land)
• Focus restoration on “protective” habitats such as dunes and mangroves
Adaptation Strategies
Restore diverse array of habitat types, protect ecosystem services• Support
principles of representation and redundancy• Protect and restore habitat connectivity
Adaptation Strategies
Move, abandon, and/or maintain shoreline
infrastructure• Consider tradeoffs between protected development and protected habitat
• Promote “soft armoring” approaches, discourage hard armoring
Adaptation Strategies
Discourage development in coastal
high hazard areas• Revise local, state, and federal policies:Reduce or
eliminate incentives for harmful and vulnerable developmentPromote incentives for sound coastal management
Adaptation Strategies
Selectively implement “proactive” adaptation
measures• Assess potential for assisted accretion through use of dredged materials
• Support environmentally sound beach re-nourishment
Adaptation Strategies
Selectively implement “proactive” adaptation
measures
Adaptation Strategies
• Support and conduct additional research and monitoring• Revise strategies as necessary
Learn As You GoAdaptation Strategies
Nisqually NWF Comprehensive
Conservation Plan
Questions?
For more information:
http://www.nwf.org/sealevelrise
http://ncseonline.org/WHPRP/NWF/Adaptation2009/
(206) 285-8707, ext. 104