Virginia Strategy for Safeguarding Species of Greatest Conservation Need from the Effects of Climate Change

From the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, Virginia Conservation Network, and the National Wildlife Federation, this report is to be appended to Virginia's Wildlife Action Plan. It forms the basis for wildlife inventory and conservation planning; supplementing the state wildlife action plan which did not address climate change.

The report was created to provide initial guidance on actions to implement immediately, in order to enhance the conservation of wildlife and habitats in the face of climate change while more comprehensive strategies are developed. Climate adaptation conservation strategies include specific actions for conserving species and habitats, developing new data and climate modeling resources, and implementing new outreach efforts related to climate change. These three main strategies are described in detail, each including a number of recommendations for supporting the resilience of Virginia's most imperiled wildlife:

Strategy 1: Conserve Species and Habitats as the Climate Changes

  • Conservation and restoration of native habitats
  • Identification, conservation, and creation of habitat corridors
  • Revisions to Virginia's Endangered Species Act
  • Developing new public and private resources
  • Use of captive breeding and reintroductions to augment populations

Strategy 2: Address Data and Modeling Needs Related to Climate Change

  • Produce climate modeling and wildlife threats and vulnerability assessment
  • Collect public attitude information
  • Incorporate action plan information into Ecosystem Toolkit

Strategy 3: Expand Outreach and Education Efforts

  • Develop a communication plan
  • Draft local action plan summaries

 

Publication Date: November 2009

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  • Adaptation plan

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