New Report Advances Climate Adaptation Plans for Wildlife

This week, the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies announced the release of a new report “Advancing the National Fish, Wildlife, and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy into a New Decade.”This is an update on the 2012 Strategy which was designed to enable natural resource managers to take effective steps towards climate adaptation in the U.S. The new report presents an update of the science and practice, with a special section on Indigenous Knowledge systems, demonstrates implementation progress, and provides recommendations for the future.

“The publication of ‘Advancing the National Fish, Wildlife and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy into a New Decade’ is a timely reminder of the critical need to address the threats that climate change poses for biodiversity and natural resources. It is our hope that the report will help galvanize a new commitment to addressing climate change and conservation in the years ahead," said Defenders of Wildlife Senior Analyst, Climate Adaption, Aimee Delach. 

“Climate change impacts on fish and wildlife are some of the most important challenges confronting natural resource agencies,” said Stafford Lehr, Deputy Director of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and Chair of the AFWA’s Climate Adaptation Committee. “The Strategy provided the vision and guidance managers needed to address these impacts. This new report provides the next steps in how we can continue to approach climate-smart conservation in the future.”

“The Association has been a strong partner and proponent of the Strategy since its inception,” said Maggie Ernest Johnson, Climate Adaptation Program Manager for the Association and who also coordinated the development of the report. “We are thrilled to see this report released and hope the recommendations can drive the conservation community towards greater implementation of the critical adaptation strategies our natural resources require.”

The new report was developed and reviewed by members of AFWA’s Climate Adaptation Committee and the National Fish, Wildlife, and Plants Climate Adaptation Network representing federal, state, tribal, and non-profit organizations. Contributing authors to the report include representatives from the US Forest Service, NOAA, US Geological Survey, Bureau of Indian Affairs, Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes, Institute for Tribal Environmental Professionals, Defenders of Wildlife, Michigan State University, and the University of North Dakota.