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State Wildlife Action Plans are intended to provide proactive planning and guidance for the management of rare or imperiled species, including Species of Greatest Conservation Need. States must update their State Wildlife Action Plans every 10 years, but planners often lack the capacity or resources to integrate climate change into their planning. Revised State Wildlife Action Plans for most states in the North Central region are due by 2025. Providing support and building capacity for climate-informed State Wildlife Action Plans will be most useful now, before revisions are underway in most states. To increase the capacity for state wildlife agencies, this project identified areas expected to be resilient against...
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Mountain ecosystems are prioritized by the North Central CASC due to the provided water resources, recreation opportunities, and endemic biodiversity. Mountain ecosystems are vulnerable to climate change due to elevation-dependent warming, loss of snowpack, reduction in physical area at higher elevations, and general sensitivity of alpine species to climate. Current climate adaptation strategies for this ecosystem include preservation of potential species refugia, connection of migratory pathways between habitat, management of recreation impacts, and modification of snow inputs. Many of these landscapes also fall within wilderness designation, constraining the range of options available for climate adaptation strategies....
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Pinyon-juniper woodlands are a major part of western landscapes and are valued for recreational use, cultural resources, watershed protection, and wildlife habitats. These woodlands have been identified by several stakeholders, including natural resource management entities, federal and state agencies, and numerous tribal nations, as important ecosystems that are currently threatened by land treatments, changes in disturbance regimes such as drought and fire, and widespread tree mortality. Currently there exist competing objectives for the management of these systems, including the desire to preserve pinyon-juniper viability as climate conditions continue to shift, as well as the need to track these systems to ensure...
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Millions of acres of California’s forest cover have been lost due to severe wildfire and drought mediatedinsect outbreaks. These acres may not grow back as forests without management action, which could negatively impact carbon sequestration, access to clean drinking water, wildlife habitat and recreation opportunities. Various factors, including limited regeneration potential, hotter and more extreme climatic conditions, and the threat of reburning hinder forest recovery. In recent year researchers have developed numerous tools and resources to help forest managers prioritize where to reforest, and how to implement climate-adaptive strategies. However, forest managers lack the time and resources to review each...
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The South Central CASC supports several graduate students in their Masters and Doctoral research through providing salary support as well as intellectual support. Each student is part of a broad team of researchers who examine issues relevant to the CASC through funding from a host of federal and state agencies (e.g., USDA, NOAA, NSF, state departments of wildlife conservation or water resources). The students support the mission of the South Central CASC and their work is highlighted here through publications and other related products.
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This is one of five general categories that contains the water management elements on the Rio Grande/Bravo basin. This category includes the dams, water districts, and water related models on the United States and Mexico that overlap the basin boundary.
Abstract (from http://afs.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03632415.2016.1186016): Climate is a critical driver of many fish populations, assemblages, and aquatic communities. However, direct observational studies of climate change impacts on North American inland fishes are rare. In this synthesis, we (1) summarize climate trends that may influence North American inland fish populations and assemblages, (2) compile 31 peer-reviewed studies of documented climate change effects on North American inland fish populations and assemblages, and (3) highlight four case studies representing a variety of observed responses ranging from warmwater systems in the southwestern and southeastern United States to coldwater systems...
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Fish and Wildlife agencies across the United States are currently revising their State Wildlife Action Plans (SWAPs). These documents are important planning documents over 10 year timescales. SWAP Coordinators have been challenged to incorporate climate change impacts and species responses as part of their strategic approaches to managing vulnerable fish and wildlife resources. The Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center is assisting Northeast and Midwestern States meet this charge by developing a regional synthesis document that provides: 1) Regional and state-specific climate change projections for approximately twenty climate variables (e.g., air temperature, precipitation, evapotranspiration, soil moisture,...
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This project compiled, synthesized, and communicated tailored climate change information to NE CASC stakeholders, including Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCC), state and federal agencies, and tribal communities. Our mission is to make climate science actionable by getting to know our stakeholders and the decisions they face, and delivering climate information that is directly relevant to their decisions and priorities. The project team served as a resource to answer individual inquiries related to climate model projections in order to aid climate change adaptation. Additionally, the team contributed to the development of a synthesis document to help the Midwest and Northeast states prepare their threatened...
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The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) documents the status and trends of marine fish stocks that represent approximately 80% of global marine catch. These stocks are routinely monitored, and the FAO assessment describes the extent of exploitation against different reference points - such as underfished, sustainable fished, or overfished. Although inland fisheries, which represent 12% of total global capture fishery production, provide important economic and social services, including accessible and affordable high-quality protein to some of the world’s most vulnerable populations, FAO has no comparable system for assessing the state of inland fisheries. This is a critical knowledge gap...
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The impacts of climate change are widespread and accelerating. As natural resource managers are tasked with maintaining and protecting species and ecosystems, options for minimizing the impacts of climate change are needed. One option for climate adaptation focuses on resistance, which seeks to preserve, as much as possible, the historical structure, composition, and function of an ecosystem in the face of changing climate conditions. One of the primary resistance strategies is to identify and conserve what are known as climate change refugia. These refugia represent areas that remain relatively buffered from contemporary climate change over time and therefore enable the persistence of valued physical, ecological,...
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Fish that are harvested from rivers and lakes play an important role in ensuring global food security. However, data on river fisheries is not collected in any standardized format globally. Although targeted analyses have been conducted on certain river systems, the approaches used, such as intensive field sampling, are not feasible at a global scale. Most river fish are harvested by small-scale operations and in countries that lack the necessary infrastructure and technology that would enable regular reporting of harvests. Therefore, alternative approaches are needed for estimating the harvest potential of river fisheries at a global scale. Given changing climate conditions and the potential impact of these changes...
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Climate change is expected to increase the intensity and frequency of drought in the U.S., leading to potentially harmful ecological impacts. The uncertain and relatively rapid changes to precipitation patterns pose a significant challenge to managers and decision-makers. In addition to having negative social and economic implications, long periods without rainfall can alter ecosystems, thereby threatening fish and wildlife species. The term “ecological drought” emphasizes the environmental consequences of future droughts. While it is known that ecological drought places multiple stresses on the environment, many of the specific impacts are not fully understood. To address this need, researchers are working to...
Abstract (from http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/03632415.2016.1187015): Fisheries and human dimensions literature suggests that climate change influences inland recreational fishers in North America through three major pathways. The most widely recognized pathway suggests that climate change impacts habitat and fish populations (e.g., water temperature impacting fish survival) and cascades to impact fishers. Climate change also impacts recreational fishers by influencing environmental conditions that directly affect fishers (e.g., increased temperatures in northern climates resulting in extended open water fishing seasons and increased fishing effort). The final pathway occurs from climate change mitigation...
Abstract: A new 368-year tree-ring chronology (A.D. 1643-2010) has been developed in western North Dakota using plains cottonwood (Populus deltoides subsp. monilifera) growing on the relatively undisturbed floodplain of the Little Missouri River in the North Unit of Theodore Roosevelt National Park. We document many slow-growing living trees between 150-370 years old that contradict the common understanding that cottonwoods grow fast and die young. In this northern location, cottonwood produces distinct annual rings with dramatic interannual variability that strongly crossdate. The detrended tree-ring chronology is significantly positively correlated with local growing season precipitation and soil moisture conditions...
Though reported capture fisheries are dominated by marine production, inland fish and fisheries make substantial contributions to meeting the challenges faced by individuals, society, and the environment in a changing global landscape. Inland capture fisheries and aquaculture contribute over 40% to the world’s reported finfish production from less than 0.01% of the total volume of water on earth. These fisheries provide food for billions and livelihoods for millions of people worldwide. Herein, using supporting evidence from the literature, we review 10 reasons why inland fish and fisheries are important to the individual (food security, economic security, empowerment), to society (cultural services, recreational...
Healthy and functioning freshwater ecosystems are needed for successful conservation and management of native fish and invertebrate species, and the services they provide to communities across the U.S. Caribbean. Yet streams, rivers, and reservoirs are vulnerable to the effects of extreme weather, urbanization, energy development, and other environmental and human-caused disturbances. One major management concern is the impact of prolonged drought on freshwater ecosystems. Drought impacts streamflow, dissolved oxygen content, water quality, stream connectivity, habitat availability, and other characteristics necessary for sustaining fish and invertebrates. These changes can impact species interactions, abundance,...
This file contains results from the project "Assessing climate-sensitive ecosystems in the southeastern U.S.", funded by the Department of Interior's Southeast Climate Science Center. Metrics fitting the categories of sensitivity, exposure, and adaptive capacity were calculated for twelve ecosystems in the southeastern U.S. and the Caribbean. Metrics include historic temperature and precipitation, projected future climate variables under two emissions scenarios, projected area affected by sea-level rise, proportion of each under protected status, distance from developed areas, variation in elevation, and human modification.
The American sand lance (Ammodytes americanus, Ammodytidae) and the Northern sand lance (A. dubius, Ammodytidae) are small forage fishes that play an important functional role in the Northwest Atlantic Ocean (NWA). The NWA is a highly dynamic ecosystem currently facing increased risks from climate change, fishing and energy development. We need a better understanding of the biology, population dynamics and ecosystem role of Ammodytes to inform relevant management, climate adaptation and conservation efforts. To meet this need, we synthesized available data on the (a) life history, behaviour and distribution; (b) trophic ecology; (c) threats and vulnerabilities; and (d) ecosystem services role of Ammodytes in the...
map background search result map search result map Understanding the Ecological Impacts of Drought Across the U.S.: Regional Workshops and National Synthesis Water management elements on the Rio Grande/Bravo basin Ecology and Management of Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands: State of the Science Estimating Global River Fisheries Harvest Potential Assessing the State of Global Inland Fisheries Climate Assessments and Scenario Planning (CLASP) Developing A National Framework for Incorporating Climate Change Refugia into Conservation and Adaptation Planning Climate Science and Adaptation Planning Support for State Wildlife Action Plans (SWAPs) in the North Central Region Graduate Student Projects Integrating Climate Change into the State Wildlife Action Plans California Reforestation Management Toolshed: A Web-Based Dashboard of Integrating Existing Resources Climate Adaptation in North Central Mountain Ecosystems California Reforestation Management Toolshed: A Web-Based Dashboard of Integrating Existing Resources Climate Adaptation in North Central Mountain Ecosystems Water management elements on the Rio Grande/Bravo basin Graduate Student Projects Climate Science and Adaptation Planning Support for State Wildlife Action Plans (SWAPs) in the North Central Region Ecology and Management of Pinyon-Juniper Woodlands: State of the Science Climate Assessments and Scenario Planning (CLASP) Integrating Climate Change into the State Wildlife Action Plans Understanding the Ecological Impacts of Drought Across the U.S.: Regional Workshops and National Synthesis Developing A National Framework for Incorporating Climate Change Refugia into Conservation and Adaptation Planning Estimating Global River Fisheries Harvest Potential Assessing the State of Global Inland Fisheries