Biodiversity and Ecosystems Law and Policy
This tab includes strategies for how to avoid or reduce climate change impacts to ecosystems. It also includes any laws, legislation, regulations, agency guidance, and executive orders relevant to biodiversity and ecosystems.
Resources are automatically presented by rating, but can be sorted by date or title. Apply additional filters to narrow by resource type, state, region, impact, or jurisdictional focus.
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Resource
October 15, 2010
As the lead agency in Maryland for climate change adaptation efforts, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) issued this policy to “provide direction and guidance regarding the Department’s investments in and management of land, resources and assets in the face of climate change.” The policy is “to make sound investments in land and facilities and to manage [DNR] assets and natural resources so as to better understand, mitigate and adapt to climate change.”
Related Organizations: Maryland Department of Natural Resources
Resource Category: Law and Governance
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March 4, 2009
This report describes observed and potential effects of global climate change on species and ecosystems. It reviews climate change adaptation plans and other planning approaches from the United States, Canada, England, Mexico, and South Africa. The report also includes sixteen possible adaptation strategies, all proposed in scientific literature and public policy documents, that directly address the conservation of biological diversity. These strategies are grouped into four broad categories: land and water protection and management, direct species management, monitoring and planning, and law and policy.
Related Organizations: The Heinz Center
Authors or Affiliated Users: Jonathan R. Mawdsley, Robin O'Malley, Dennis S. Ojima
Resource Category: Solutions
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May 2019
This handbook was designed to support climate-smart meadow restoration projects in the mountain meadows of northern California. The report offers guidance on incorporating climate change impacts into a meadow vulnerability assessment, and adaptive measures into restoration planning and design. The report describes how to conduct a vulnerability assessment, and how to apply Point Blue’s climate-smart restoration principles to address those vulnerabilities with adaptation measures. The guide describes desired meadow restoration outcomes, climate projections for the Sierra Nevada region, and includes a summary of a climate vulnerability assessment for four riparian meadow restoration projects in the northern Sierra and southern Cascades.
Related Organizations: Point Blue Conservation Science (PRBO)
Author or Affiliated User: Marian Vernon
Resource Category: Planning
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Resource
2017
The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation created the WCS Climate Adaptation Fund to “incentivize new and innovative efforts to help wildlife and ecosystems respond to climate change. ” As of 2016, the WCS Climate Adaptation Fund awarded more than $12 million to 66 adaptation projects across the United States. This report presents 14 climate change adaptation strategies or “solutions” for sustaining wildlife populations and ecosystems, with examples of projects supported by the Climate Adaptation Fund that exemplify each solution.
Related Organizations: Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)
Resource Category: Solutions
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Resource
2009
Beyond Seasons' End describes the impacts of climate change on fish, big game, upland birds, and waterfowl and how these species are responding to impacts. The report explains what can be done to protect fish and wildlife populations and sporting traditions under changing climate conditions, including case studies of successful adaptation and conservation projects. It presents a number of projects from fish and wildlife professionals about actions that the human community can take to assist the wild community adapting to climate change.
Related Organizations: Trout Unlimited , Coastal Conservation Association, Ducks Unlimited , Bipartisan Policy Center , BASS/ESPN Outdoors, Izaac Walton League of America, Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) , American Sportfishing Association, Pheasants Forever Inc., Boone and Crockett Club
Resource Category: Solutions
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February 2014
In collaboration with the U. S. Forest Service and California Landscape Conservation Cooperative (CA LCC), EcoAdapt has identified a suite of priority climate change adaptation strategies for focal ecosystems and wildlife species of the Sierra Nevada region of California including: Alpine and Subalpine Systems, Mountain Yellow-Legged Frogs, Yellow Pine/Mixed Conifer Systems, Red Fir Systems and Marten, Wet Meadows and Fens, and Oak Woodlands. After a vulnerability assessment process, draft implementation plans were developed for each of the focal resources, incorporating the priority adaptation actions.
Related Organizations: EcoAdapt , Department of the Interior (DOI): California Landscape Conservation Cooperative (LCC)
Resource Category: Solutions
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October 1, 2013
In April 2013, the Maryland General Assembly passed the Forest Preservation Act of 2013 (HB 706, approved by Governor Martin O’Malley on May 2, 2013 and effective October 1, 2013), which seeks to stop forest loss in the state and maintain the state’s existing 40 percent tree canopy cover by instituting a “No Net Forest Loss” policy. Instead of using regulations or maintenance requirements to prevent forest loss, the Act utilizes new and modified incentives for private landowners to conserve and preserve forestland.
Related Organizations: State of Maryland
Resource Category: Law and Governance
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2014
The National Fish, Wildlife and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy is a framework to support adaptation and conservation of the country’s natural communities over the next five to 10 years (from 2013), based on climate change projections for the next century. The multi-partner strategy outlines a unified approach to maintaining the key terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecosystems needed to sustain fish, wildlife and plant resources under the accelerating impacts of climate change. This Taking Action progress report describes 50 projects that demonstrate implementation of a variety of actions recommended by the Strategy.
Related Organizations: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) , California Department of Fish and Wildlife , Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Resource Category: Solutions
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November 2012
In 2005, Congress mandated that state fish and wildlife agencies develop State Wildlife Action Plans (SWAPs) that identified the species and habitats in greatest conservation need, key threats, and recommended actions - in order to receive federal funding through the State and Tribal Wildlife Grants Program. The Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies prepared a report with guidance focused on integrating climate change adaptation planning into SWAPs in 2009 - Voluntary Guidance for States to Incorporate Climate Change into State Wildlife Action Plans and Other Management Plans.
Related Organizations: Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA)
Resource Category: Planning
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April 2012
Washington’s 2012 Stream Habitat Restoration Guidelines, prepared for the Washington State Aquatic Habitat Guidelines Program, include a Climate Change Appendix that summarizes the science and impacts of climate change on stream habitat in Washington, and strategies for ensuring that stream habitat restoration efforts are designed to be resilient to climate change impacts. The purpose of the Guidelines is to promote process based natural stream restoration, rehabilitating aquatic and riparian ecosystems.
Related Organizations: Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife , Washington State Department of Natural Resources , Puget Sound Partnership, Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) , Washington State Department of Ecology , Washington State Department of Transportation
Resource Category: Solutions
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