Geoscience Reference
In-Depth Information
and.conservation.partnerships.may.need.to.expand.from.a.focus.on.existing.
protected.areas.to.include.new.areas.with.enough.water.to.sustain.wetland.
habitats,.upon.which.many.species.of.conservation.concern.depend.
•.
Large-scale. shifts. in. species. ranges. and. timing. of. the. seasons. and. ani-
mal.migration.will.occur.(Folke.et.al..2004)..Phenological.mismatches.may.
occur. between. migrating. or. hibernating. species. and. the. food. resources.
available. upon. their. arrival. or. emergence.. Lands. that. were. initially. pro-
tected.for.a.speciic.species.may.no.longer.support.that.species.in.the.future..
Resource.managers.may.need.to.consider.strategies.such.as.creating.migra-
tion. corridors,. translocating. species,. or. food. supplementation. to. address.
these.threats.(Scott.et.al..2009).
•.
The.numbers.of.threatened.and.endangered.species.will.increase.as.a.result.
of. climate. change.. In. addition,. the. extinction. risk. will. increase. for. those.
species. already. designated. as. threatened. and. endangered.. Species. with.
limited. dispersal. abilities. and. specialized. habitat. requirements. are. likely.
to. be. most. at. risk. (Thomas. et. al.. 2004).. Addressing. the. needs. of. threat-
ened.and.endangered.species.will.tax.the.resources.of.agency.staff.charged.
with. protecting. and. restoring. these. populations.. Dificult. decisions. will.
arise.regarding.which.species.should.receive.scarce.conservation.resources.
(Scott.et.al..2005;.McCarthy.et.al..2008).
•.
Dry.conditions.and.changes.in.forest.health.will.change.the.duration,.fre-
quency,.intensity,.and.extent.of.wildland.ires..Deserts.and.dry.lands.will.
likely.become.hotter.and.drier,.exacerbating.threats.from.drought,.invasive.
plants,. ire,. and. erosion.. Some. forested. areas. may. transition. to. savannah.
or.grasslands..Fire.risks.across.the.landscape.will.need.to.be.reevaluated.
and. resource. managers. will. need. to. invest. more. resources. in. addressing.
ire.risks.at.the.wildland-urban.interface..Resource.managers.will.need.to.
advocate.for.the.needs.of.ish.and.wildlife.in.the.face.of.growing.human.
demands.for.water.
•.
Coastal.and.marine,.as.well.as.arctic.and.subarctic.ecosystems.are.threat-
ened. by. multiple. stressors;. climate. change. will. exacerbate. these. stresses..
Management.agencies.can.adjust.their.land.acquisition.policies.to.acquire.
higher.elevation.coastal.land.and.take.other.measures.to.mitigate.some.of.
these. stressors.. However,. it. is. doubtful. whether. management. actions. can.
be.implemented.at.an.intensity.or.spatial.scale.suficient.to.reverse.many.
climate-related.ecological.effects.in.these.vast.ecosystems.(Munday.et.al..
2008;.Greene.et.al..2008).
A STRUCTURED APPROACH TO DECISION MAKING
How.should.the.practice.of.resource.management.evolve.to.meet.the.challenge.of.
climate. change,. as. well. as. a. host. of. other. threats. to. conservation. lands,. includ-
ing.the.widespread.conversion.of.diverse.native.ecosystems.to.agriculture,.forest.
monocultures,.and.urban.expansion?.The.United.Nations.Convention.on.Biological.
Diversity.(http://www.biodiv.org.).advocates.an.“ecosystem.approach,”.which.is.a.
strategy. for. the. integrated. management. of. land,. water,. and. living. resources. that.
