A Climate Vulnerability Assessment Framework for Data-Poor Species Active
Assessing vulnerability to climate change is a key step in anticipating climate impacts on species.
A full assessment of vulnerability involves three essential components—sensitivity, adaptive capacity, and exposure. For poorly studied species, assessing sensitivity and adaptive capacity can be extremely challenging. USGS, in collaboration with Julie Heinrich (Colorado State University) and Josh Lawler (University of Washington), is developing an approach to assess both of these components of vulnerability for poorly studied species that builds on existing sensitivity, vulnerability, and adaptive capacity assessment tools and datasets. This new approach for identifying climate-vulnerable species will improve management strategies and help avoid surprising negative consequences for under-studied species; it will also help prioritize species in need of research, protection, and management.
Assessing vulnerability to climate change is a key step in anticipating climate impacts on species.
A full assessment of vulnerability involves three essential components—sensitivity, adaptive capacity, and exposure. For poorly studied species, assessing sensitivity and adaptive capacity can be extremely challenging. USGS, in collaboration with Julie Heinrich (Colorado State University) and Josh Lawler (University of Washington), is developing an approach to assess both of these components of vulnerability for poorly studied species that builds on existing sensitivity, vulnerability, and adaptive capacity assessment tools and datasets. This new approach for identifying climate-vulnerable species will improve management strategies and help avoid surprising negative consequences for under-studied species; it will also help prioritize species in need of research, protection, and management.