National Park Service Climate Change Response Strategy

The National Park Service (NPS) preserves more than 84 million acres within the National Park System. Global climate change threatens the integrity of all national parks, and challenges the NPS mission to leave park resources unimpaired for future generations.

The NPS Climate Change Response Strategy provides direction to the agency and employees to address the impacts of climate change. The strategy includes goals and objectives to guide NPS actions under four integrated components: science, adaptation, mitigation, and communication. The NPS will work with local, state, tribal, regional, national, and other bureaus and partners to implement the components of the strategy.

The strategy addresses the adaptive capacity for managing natural and cultural resources and infrastructure under a changing climate. The NPS plans to inventory resources at risk and conduct vulnerability assessments; prioritize and implement actions, and monitor the results; explore scenarios, associated risks, and possible management options; and to integrate climate change impacts into facilities management.

This strategy is complemented by an implementation plan, the Climate Change Action Plan, that describes how the NPS planned to meet these goals.

Publication Date: September 2010

Related Organizations:

• National Park Service (NPS)

Sectors:

• Biodiversity and ecosystems
• Coastal
• Cultural resources
• Fish and fisheries
• Land management and conservation
• Tourism and recreation
• Water resources
• Wildlife

Resource Category:

• Planning

Resource Types:

• Adaptation plan

Impacts:

• Air temperature
• Drought
• Extreme storms and hurricanes
• Invasive species and pests
• Ocean acidification
• Permafrost melt
• Precipitation changes
• Sea-level rise
• Wildfires

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