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Assessing the Vulnerability of Species and Ecosystems to Projected Future Climate Change in the Pacific Northwest Completed

By Climate Adaptation Science Centers December 31, 2008

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To develop effective adaptive management plans, conservation and natural resource managers need to know how climate change will affect the species and ecosystems they manage. This project provides managers with information about potential climate change effects on species and managed areas in the Pacific Northwest. We evaluated projected changes in climate, vegetation, and species distributions through the year 2099 and assessed the potential impacts of these changes on key species and managed lands. We worked with conservation and natural resource managers to incorporate the results of this study into state, federal, and non-governmental organization (NGO) management plans. The projected changes in climate, vegetation, and species distributions were summarized for the entire study region as well as for specific land management units, including National Parks, state and federal fish and wildlife refuges, and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) owned and managed sites.

To develop effective adaptive management plans, conservation and natural resource managers need to know how climate change will affect the species and ecosystems they manage. This project provides managers with information about potential climate change effects on species and managed areas in the Pacific Northwest. We evaluated projected changes in climate, vegetation, and species distributions through the year 2099 and assessed the potential impacts of these changes on key species and managed lands. We worked with conservation and natural resource managers to incorporate the results of this study into state, federal, and non-governmental organization (NGO) management plans. The projected changes in climate, vegetation, and species distributions were summarized for the entire study region as well as for specific land management units, including National Parks, state and federal fish and wildlife refuges, and The Nature Conservancy (TNC) owned and managed sites.