Managing Changing Landscapes in the Southwestern United States
This regional assessment examines the impacts of temperature change from 1951-2006 on natural resources in Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, and Utah. It documents that warming has already affected habitats, watersheds, and species of conservation concern in the Southwest, by influencing the timing of seasonal events or amplifying the impacts of natural disturbances such as wildfire and drought.
The report concludes that to begin adapting to climate change, natural resource managers should reevaluate the effectiveness of current restoration tools, modify resource objectives, learn from climate-smart adaptive management and monitoring, and share information across boundaries.
Publication Date: January 2011
Authors or Affiliated Users:
- Marcos Robles
- Carolyn Enquist
Related Organizations:
- Climate Assessment for the Southwest (CLIMAS) - RISA
- University of Washington
- Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)
- U.S. Forest Service (USFS)
- The Nature Conservancy (TNC)
Sectors:
- Biodiversity and ecosystems
- Fish and fisheries
- Forestry
- Water resources
- Wildlife
Resource Category:
Resource Types:
- Assessment
States Affected:
Impacts:
- Air temperature
- Drought
- Permafrost melt
- Precipitation changes
- Water supply
- Wildfires
