Land Trust Alliance http://www.landtrustalliance.org These are the search results for the query, showing results 1 to 3. Scanning the Conservation Horizon: A Guide to Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment http://www.landtrustalliance.org/climate-change-toolkit/scanning-the-conservation-horizon-a-guide-to-climate-change-vulnerability-assessment Other | Publication Vulnerability assessments are a key tool for informing adaptation planning and enabling resource managers to identify current and future conservation strategies. The National Wildlife Federation’s Scanning the Conservation Horizon: A Guide to Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment is designed to assist fish and wildlife managers and other conservation and resource professionals to better plan, execute, and interpret climate change vulnerability assessments.

]]> No publisher Erin Derrington Wildlife Prepare Vulnerability Additional Resource conservation Vulnerability assessment Plan 2012-12-07T01:23:18Z Page Preserve Habitat Connectivity http://www.landtrustalliance.org/climate-change-toolkit/adapt/wildlife/preserve-habitat-connectivity Habitat loss, fragmentation, and degradation is a leading threat to the nation’s fish and wildlife resources. As a result, preserving habitat connectivity has become an important conservation priority.

How Does Climate Change Increase the Importance of Habitat connectivity?

Rising temperatures and changing climatic conditions are already causing some species — plants and animals — to push their established ranges further north or into higher elevation areas. For example, New England’s sugar maples are already shifting their ranges further north and to higher elevations. Habitat connectivity facilitates this process, allowing animals to seek out new territory or escape newly-invading predators or competitors.

Numerous Efforts Are Already Underway to Preserve Habitat Connectivity

The protection of habitat connectivity, often through buffer zones or wildlife corridors, is a conservation priority. For example, the Western Governor’s Association recently established a Wildlife Corridors Initiative to help protect the region’s fish and wildlife from the impacts of climate change, energy development, transportation and other forms of habitat loss or degradation.

How Can Land Trusts Help Preserve Habitat Connectivity?

As climate change compels more species to shift their ranges, land trusts may wish to consider facilitating these population migrations by:

  • extending the reach of current protected areas to incorporate potential new habitat,
  • making landscape connectivity a priority when considering new parcels,
  • working with local organizations, governments and NGOs to protect habitat that links existing protected areas, thereby establishing wildlife corridors.

Learn More

Learn more about protecting habitat connectivity:

]]> No publisher Kimberly Seese Wildlife Adapt 2012-03-07T22:25:00Z Page Manage Wildlife for Climate Change http://www.landtrustalliance.org/climate-change-toolkit/adapt/wildlife/manage-wildlife-for-climate-change Resilience Climate change has already been linked to changes in wildlife distribution, reproduction and behavior. As temperatures continue to warm, these changes will continue.

What Does Climate Change Mean for Wildlife?

The potential impacts to wildlife vary by species, preferred habitat, and much more, and may include:

  • Species migration to more northerly or higher elevation habitats.
  • More severe weather — storms, floods, droughts, etc — threaten the ability of wildlife species to reproduce, find cover, forage or hunt, migrate and survive.
  • Increased health risks from disease, pests and new competitors or predators.
  • Loss of habitat due to rising sea levels, drought, rising temperatures, wildfire and other events.
  • Temporal or geographic disconnect between species that previously relied upon one another, such as pollinators and flowers.

How Can Land Trusts Help?

By planning for climate change today, land trusts help priority species weather the effects of climate change tomorrow. Land trusts may consider the following actions:

]]> No publisher Kimberly Seese Wildlife Adapt 2012-03-07T22:25:00Z Page