Land Trust Alliance http://www.landtrustalliance.org These are the search results for the query, showing results 1 to 3. Wetland and Stream Mitigation: A Handbook for Land Trusts http://www.landtrustalliance.org/climate-change-toolkit/wetland-and-stream-mitigation-a-handbook-for-land-trusts Other | Publication Thanks to the support of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Environmental Law Institute and the Land Trust Alliance have released a new resource, Wetland and Stream Mitigation:  A Handbook for Land Trusts, which was designed to provide land trusts with a starting point for understanding the opportunities and liabilities associated with taking on a compensatory mitigation project. The handbook provides readers with:

  • Background on Section 404 of the Clean Water Act,
  • An overview of the different phases of a compensatory mitigation project,
  • A discussion of the different roles that a land trust can play in compensatory mitigation,
  • A framework for land trusts to assess their participation in a compensatory mitigation project, and
  • Technical guides on site protection instruments, long-term management plans, and long–term financing mechanisms.

Download the Wetland and Stream Mitigation: A Handbook for Land Trusts as well as other resources from the ELI website.

]]> No publisher Erin Derrington Wetlands Plan Partnership Publication Assess Additional Resource Mitigation Wetland Adaptation Tools and datasets conservation Resources Land Trust Alliance 2012-12-07T01:15:00Z Page Coastal Areas Impacts and Climate Change Adaptation Website http://www.landtrustalliance.org/climate-change-toolkit/adapt/habitats/coastal-areas-impacts-and-climate-change-adaptation-website EPA | Website The Coastal Areas Impacts and Climate Change Adaptation Website offers assessments of climate change impacts and adaptation efforts by region or by sector.  It also provides additional resources, including an adaptation overview, which highlights examples of adaptation and ongoing adaptation efforts.

]]> No publisher Erin Derrington Website Impacts Vulnerability Assess Adapt Tools and datasets Awareness EPA 2012-11-09T02:20:00Z Page Assess Vulnerability to Climate Change http://www.landtrustalliance.org/climate-change-toolkit/plan/assess/assess-vulnerability-to-climate-change Priorities to Climate Change Assessing and planning for vulnerability should be an important part of every land trust’s preparations for climate change. Vulnerability assessments help identify the resources and/or conservation priorities that are most threatened by climate change. This allows land trusts to prioritize conservation actions, and guides future management decisions. Land trusts may choose to undertake a vulnerability assessment as part of a larger scenario planning exercise.

Prepare for Vulnerability

Planning for vulnerability to climate change generally involves three steps:

  • Determine which resources are vulnerable to changing conditions. By identifying the most vulnerable resources, we are able to prioritize our conservation actions. The vulnerability of a resource is determined by:

a. Exposure to the impacts of climate change.

b. Sensitivity to the impacts of climate change.

c. Ability to adapt to the impacts of climate change.

Note: Responses to climate change may vary with the actual amount of change being considered. For example, some plants or animals may respond positively to a small increase in temperature, but will then respond negatively as temperatures increase further.

  • Determine why those resources are vulnerable. It is not enough to know that a particular resource is vulnerable. We also must know why the resource is vulnerable. This allows us to choose conservation actions that are most likely to reduce the threats posed by climate change.
  • Use this information to guide conservation actions that will reduce vulnerability.

How Can We Reduce Vulnerability to Climate Change?

It is useful to think of climate change adaptation as a process, not an outcome. As such, planning for vulnerability to climate change is similar to planning for the vulnerability of resources to other threats, such as urban development or water pollution. As we learn more about predicted climate change impacts, land trusts will be able to anticipate and plan for these impacts. For example, in order to protect cold-water fish, a land trust may look to remove barriers that currently prevent upstream migration, thus allowing those fish to reach cooler waters.

National and Regional Efforts to Assess Vulnerability

Efforts to assess the vulnerability of species and natural areas to climate change are increasing, and this is rapidly becoming an area of major focus for many federal and state agencies, universities and NGOs. Many resources are available, such as:

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