Analysis of Potential Impacts of Climate Change on Wildlife Habitat in the U.S.

This report, from the Wildlife Habitat Policy Research Program (WHPRP) and the USFS Rocky Mountain Research Station, was created as guidance for state agencies to effectively factor climate change into their State Wildlife Action Plans (SWAPs). The primary objective of this project was to develop methods and analyses to provide to state wildlife agencies with information on the magnitude of projected impacts of climate change on terrestrial wildlife habitats and viable options for minimizing those impacts.

There is an excellent analysis of all SWAPs for the treatment of climate change. The team developed a terrestrial climate stress index to assist resource managers in developing adaptive actions. This index incorporates changes in temperature, precipitation, habitat types, and quality to rank areas along a gradient of high to low future climate stress for terrestrial wildlife habitat. They adapted this national index to evaluate habitat-specific risks to climate change, and applied this version in an evaluation of three states' SWAPs - Arizona, Minnesota, and Tennessee. Overall recommendations for improving the treatment of climate change in State Wildlife Action Plans are provided.

Publication Date: October 31, 2008

Authors or Affiliated Users:

Related Organizations:

Sectors:

Resource Category:

Resource Types:

  • Assessment guide

States Affected:

Impacts:

  • Air temperature
  • Precipitation changes

Go To Resource