Climate Change: SEAFWA Thoughts? Ken Haddad, Executive Director Florida Fish and Wildlife...
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Transcript of Climate Change: SEAFWA Thoughts? Ken Haddad, Executive Director Florida Fish and Wildlife...
Climate Change: SEAFWA Thoughts?
Ken Haddad, Executive DirectorFlorida Fish and Wildlife Conservation CommissionSeptember 2007
Southeast Director Responses
• Is your agency working on the issue? Most no but monitoring efforts will aid.
• Is your state government taking steps? Exec Orders, fuel alternatives
• Director ranking?…low to medium• Major Issues: Sea level, weather
extremes, migrations, range expansion of southern species, habitat change, exotics expansion, conversion of forest to fuel.
Goal: minimize species loss and optimize wildlife value and survival in the face of climate change
• Need to:– Generate information on the direction and
range of climate effects – ID highest value wildlife species and habitat
targets – Policy frameworks that are flexible to
uncertainties– Plan to mitigate adverse effects– Elicit political, economic and public opinion
that allows these responses.
Impacts and Vulnerability Earlier “greening” of vegetation linked to longer
thermal growing seasons Shifts in ranges and composition of algal and
plankton populations Range changes of wildlife populations and
vegetation Alterations in disturbance regimes of forests due
to fires and pests
Impacts and Vulnerability Combination of sea-level rise and human impacts
contribute to loss of coastal wetlands and mangroves; increased damage from coastal erosion and flooding
Corals vulnerable to thermal stress; have slow adaptive capacity
Altered spatial distribution of some infectious disease vectors
Impacts and Vulnerability Threats to freshwater resources critical to fish
and wildlife Increased invasion/spread of non-native species Changes in rainfall patterns- erosion, plant
communities, quality/quantity of surface and groundwater
Wetland migration or loss Shift in waterfowl nesting and migration
patterns
Impacts and Vulnerability
Salt marshes and mangroves losses where constrained by development or sediment deficits
High elevation habitats have no where to go coldwater fisheries and warming streams and
lakes
Short Term Solutions Convert marginal agricultural land into
forested land to increase carbon sequestration
Explore long-term impact of crop production for ethanol on
wildlife Conserve woodlands from
development
Longer Term Solutions (Adaptation)
Most stringent efforts cannot avoid further impacts in next few decades- makes adaptation more important
Need mix of mitigation, adaptation, technical development and research to combine with incentive-based policies and actions at all levels from individual to international
Adaptation measures in land-use planning & infrastructure design
Increase ability to predict biological responses
Data Gaps Lack of geographic balance in data and
literature on observed changes No clear picture of limits to adaptation
(highly dependent on species, and geographical factors as well as public opinion, political and financial constraints)
Landscape or Habitat-based Focus
• Large areas needed to allow diversity.• Areas of significant north-south • extentCorridors that connect affected areas• Areas inland of predicted flood zones• Migrant transit locations
Species Focus• Species with limited distribution• Species with limited movement/migration
capacity• Species with known narrow temperature
dependencies• Species isolated in discontinuous habitats• Highly charismatic and popular species• Species of high economic value
What are we doing now?
Long term monitoring of some species Planning process include restoration strategies
with a wider range of weather conditions Defining flows for streams, rivers and estuaries Starting the discussions
What are we doing now?
Monitoring of nonnative species Development of predictive models Benchmarking to evaluate future climate
variability Legislation/executive orders beginning to
generate action
What now? Many species and habitats will adapt without intervention Focus on species that will be challenged by
climate change Focus on species whose loss in the southeast
would be a significant or complete loss of the species in the world.
Focus on the distribution of habitats that species need
The climate change issue is larger than fish and wildlife
Maximize our influence across the whole range of climate change responses
Carefully consider and balance the modification of fish and wildlife regulations to reduce human costs of adaptation to climate change
Communicate the importance of our vision for active management of wildlife in response to climate change
Actively communicate policy objectives and constraints to public, media and legislature