Climate-Smart Conservation: Putting Adaptation Principles into Practice

Naomi EdelsonDirector, State and Federal Wildlife PartnershipsNational Wildlife Federation

March 2015

What Does Climate Change Mean for the Practice of Conservation?

Climate Adaptation• The process of adjustment to actual

or expected climate and its effects

– In human systems, adaptation seeks to moderate harm or exploit beneficial opportunities

– In natural systems, human intervention may facilitate adjustment to expected climate and its effects

In other words:• Prepare for …• Cope with …• Adjust to …

--- IPCC AR5 (2014)

What Constitutes Good Adaptation?

• Adaptation still an emerging field• Still poor understanding of what climate

adaptation means

• Most guidance still at very high level; little operational advice

• Danger of existing work simply being relabeled

• Strong interest in understanding what truly constitutes climate adaptation and how to put principles into practice

Guidance Development Approach

• Expert workgroup convened to develop adaptation guidance – Federal, state, and NGO participants– Builds on previous guidance for vulnerability

• Designed to demystify process – Breaks down into manageable steps

• Non-prescriptive– Focus on understanding principles and use of a

general framework– Encourages innovation and context-specific

application

• Assumes use of existing best practices

Climate-Smart Conservation Expert Workgroup

• NGOs– National Wildlife Federation– Wildlife Conservation Society– EcoAdapt– Nature Conservancy– Geos Institute– Point Blue Conservation Science

• State Agencies– Florida– Maryland

• Federal Agencies– Fish and Wildlife Service– National Park Service– US Geological Survey

– Environmental Protection Agency

– NOAA– US Forest Service– Army Corps of Engineers

Overarching ThemesClimate-Smart Conservation in a Nutshell

• Act with intentionality

• Manage for change, not just persistence

• Reconsider goals, not just strategies

• Integrate adaptation into existing work

1. Acting with Intentionality

• Link Actions to Climate Impacts– How will actions address key

vulnerabilities?– What is the logic model/scientific

rationale for actions?

• Show your work!– Transparency/traceability important – Whether novel approaches are

indicated – Or existing approaches and actions

validated

2. Manage for Change Not Just Persistence

• Stationarity is dead!

• Adaptation will largely be about preparing for and managing change

• Adaptation is a process, not an end point

A Continuum of ChangeFrom Resistance to Transformation

• Resistance– Focus on maintaining status quo– May be appropriate for high-value assets

• Resilience– Current usage mostly focus on rebound to

status quo conditions

• Realignment– Facilitate/manage for inevitable shifts to help

achieve acceptable outcomes

3. Reconsider Conservation GoalsNot Just Strategies

• Goals are the ends; strategies the means

• Goals are a reflection of human values and can evolve– Many goals and objectives may no longer

be feasible with rapid changes

• Need for forward-looking rather than retrospective goals

•Traditional goals

•Revised strategies*

Climate Retrofit

Aligning Goals and Strategies in Climate Adaptation

•Traditional goals

•Traditional strategies

Business as Usual

Stage 1 Stage 2 Stage 3

•Revised goals*

•Revised strategies*

Climate-Aligned

* Review and revised as needed, based on climate change assessments.

4. Integrate with Existing WorkNot Just Stand-Alone Adaptation Plans

Climate-Smart Conservation CycleA Generalized Framework for Adaptation Planning and Implementation

Guidance Document Built Around Cycle

Setting the Stage

Assess Vulnerability

and Risk

ReconsiderGoals

Define purpose/

scope

Assessing Vulnerability

Understanding what’s at risk and why is key to designing effective adaptation strategiesComponents of vulnerability• Sensitivity• Exposure• Adaptive Capacity

Crafting Climate-Informed GoalsAre Changes Needed In?

• What– Conservation targets/focus

• Why– Intended outcome or desired condition

• Where– Relevant geographic scope

• When– Relevant timeframe

Generating and Evaluating Strategies and Actions

Be creative!Be realistic!

Identifying Adaptation Options

• At this stage be creative!– Constraints come in next step

• Several ways to generate options:– Components of vulnerability– General adaptation strategies– Intervention points

Need here is to Identify an array of possible adaptation options for reducing key vulnerabilities

Vulnerabilities Key Vulnerabilities

General Strategies

Possible Options

SpecificActions

Identify broad range of options

Evaluate, compare, and select actions

Which best achieve

conservation goals?

Which are climate-smart?

How practicable/ feasible are

they?

Identify what’s of

concern and why?

Connecting Vulnerability to Adaptation ActionsSusan/Jordan’s Brain

Connecting Vulnerability to Adaptation Actions

Which achieve other

(social/econ)goals?

From Adaptation Strategy to Adaptation Action

General Adaptation Strategies• Reduce Non-Climate Stresses • Protect Key Ecosystem Features• Ensure Connectivity• Restore Structure and Function• Support Evolutionary Potential • Protect Refugia• Relocate Organisms

General Strategies

Possible Options

SpecificActions

New York and NH approachTypes of Adaptation Strategies

Long-termFeasibility

Near-term Feasibility

General Specific

1.Identify adaptation planning targets2.Summarize the vulnerability of the targets3.Develop full range of adaptation options4.Prioritize adaptation options5.Identify potential implementation partners6.Group, Filter, and Highlight

Using vulnerability data to identify adaptation strategies

Stages 1 & 2 (Identify adaptation planning targets/Summarize vulnerability of targets)

Morning presentations summarizing all statewide species & habitat vulnerability work to date and identifying specific vulnerable habitats and/or species from the work upon which to focus adaptation planning efforts

Afternoon working groups by system, formation etc

•Working group participants are given:• (a) projected climate change assumptions summary (b) vulnerability summaries for each target

• (c) a summary list of current state-driven efforts to manage the target

Stages 1 & 2 (Identify adaptation planning targets/Summarize vulnerability of targets) continued:

•Working group participants are given:

• (a) projected climate change assumptions summary

•(b) vulnerability summaries for each target

•(c) a summary list of current state-driven efforts to manage the target

Stage 3Develop Full Range of Options

•Names of the adaptation targets are on poster sheets around the room

•Participants are given sticky notes. Group spends XX amount of time writing down as many strategies for a specific target.

•No talking – this is all about quantity, not quality.

•After the time is up, participants place their strategies on the target poster

Actions

• Need to think BIG• Brainstorm wildly• Old options that seemed impossible may be

viewed differently now• Existing practices and approaches might need

to be adapted for place, time and technique• Or Novel approach might be best

Components of Vulnerability

• Reduce exposure: Increase riparian vegetation that provides shading over open water to moderate exposure to warmer air temperatures.

• Reduce sensitivity: Reduce water use that depletes groundwater recharge to decrease sensitivity of streams to changes in precipitation.

• Increase adaptive capacity: Create adjacent cool, deep pools to provide refugia.

Intervention Points

• Using the Adaptation for Conservation Targets (ACT) Framework (Cross et al. 2012), adaptation options such as the following can be identified for managing stream flows for native cold water fish as temperatures warm and flows decline:

Intervention points Potential adaptation options Withdrawals -----------------------> Reduce withdrawals by leasing in-stream water

rights Snowpack management ---------> Build snow fences to retain snow in key areas for

longer High elevation stream flow -----> Slow spring flows with check dams or beaver dams Impervious surfaces --------------> Reduce/remove roads to reduce sediment runoff Grazing practices ------------------> Reduce riparian impacts by fencing or reduced

density Riparian vegetation ---------------> Restore riparian areas that provide shading to

streams

Evaluating Possible Projects and Actions

Emphasis on identifying a set of actions that collectively would achieve conservation goals

Suggested evaluation framework:• Conservation goals

– Effectiveness meeting stated goals/objectives• Other goals/values

– Co-benefits for other societal values• Feasibility

– Cost, technical feasibility, social acceptance, etc.• Climate-smart considerations

– Based on key characteristics

Key Characteristics of Climate-Smart Conservation

• Actions linked to climate impacts

• Forward looking goals• Broader landscape

context• Robust in an uncertain

future• Agile and informed

management

• Minimizes carbon footprint

• Climate influence on project success

• Safeguards people and nature

• Avoids maladaptation

Actions Linked to Climate Impacts

• Does the project “connect the dots” between climate impacts and proposed action?– What’s the theory of change?– Does it demonstrate

“intentionality”?

• How is project/action intended to reduce key vulnerabilities or address specific impacts?

Forward-Looking Goals

• Is the project explicit about its goals?

• Are goals climate-informed?– Have they been reviewed for

feasibility in light of climate change?– Have they been validated and/or

modified as a result? – Is time horizon for

benefits/performance explicit (e.g., short, medium, long)

• Where does the project fall on the continuum of change?– Is focus on resistance or

realignment?

Broader Landscape Context

• Does project/action take into account broader landscape and projected climatic shifts?– How does local action

contribute to broader landscape conservation needs?

• Are there landscape factors that could limit/enhance effectiveness of effort?

• If proposes to enhance “connectivity”, does it define for what and consider climatic/ecological factors?

Housing Density 2010Source: D. Theobald, CSU

Robust in an Uncertain Future

• Is project/action “robust” across multiple possible scenarios, or optimized for one future?

• How sensitive is action to particular scenarios of change in: – Climate– Ecological Response– Human response

Agile and Informed Management

• Does the project/action allow for course corrections, or commit to an irreversible course of action?

• Can clear indicators or thresholds be identified that would trigger adjustment or go/no go decisions?

• Are adequate monitoring and evaluation approaches in place/ proposed to support informed management?

FWS Strategic Habitat Conservation framework

Minimizes Carbon Footprint

• What direct or indirect greenhouse gas emissions are associated with project/action?

• Does the project contribute to (or undermine) carbon sequestration and storage?

Considers Climate Influence on Project Success

• Is the project designed for climate adaptation, or an existing project in need of a “climate-retrofit”?

• How will climate changes (direct and indirect) affect likely performance for project?

• Does the project/action avoid clearly compromised investments, or if not, have an intentional transition plan?

Degrading wetlands, coastal LA

Safeguards People and Nature

• To what extent does the project/action provide benefits (or “co-benefits”) to people and other societal sectors?– Natural hazard reduction– Water quantity/quality

protection– Climate risk reduction

Avoids Maladaptation

• Would the project/action increase the vulnerability to other important resources (ecological or human)?

• Are there possible unintended consequences or unacceptable trade-offs?

• One person’s adaptation may be another’s maladaptative response!

What do These Characteristics Look Like in Practice?

Linking Actions to ImpactsUpslope restoration to provide disease- free habitat for Hawaiian forest birds

Minimizes Carbon FootprintRestoring hydrology to keep carbon in the Great Dismal Swamp

What do These Characteristics Look Like in Practice?

Strategies Robust to UncertaintyConstruction of fish shelves at varying levels in stream restoration to account for increased variability in water levels

Putting Plans into Action

Rely on existing best

practices

Professional Training in Climate-Smart Conservation

• Accompanying training course offered through FWS/NCTC

• Guide highlighted in President’s “Priority Agenda” for Resilience

• Three-day course offered to date: – Sheperdstown WV (2x), Sacramento CA,

Tucson AZ, Fort Collins, CO, Olympia WA

• Additional courses scheduled:– New Mexico (Jan ‘15), Hawaii (Mar ‘15),

Navajo Nation (Fall ’15)

NWF resources

• Vulnerability Assessment Guide• New Climate Smart Guide• Associated Trainings• State based reports (VA, NY and WA)• Webinar series with FWS (monthly)• www.nwf.org/climate-smart• edelsonn@nwf.org