With the growing number of scientific papers on climate change and continued interest among resource managers and conservationists to account for climate change in their work, there is a need to summarize climate change information for key geographies and ecosystems. In response to this need, National Wildlife Federation produced an extensive compilation of climate change effects and adaptation approaches specific to the terrestrial ecosystems of the North Pacific Landscape Conservation Cooperative (NPLCC) geography.
Covering 204,000 square miles, the NPLCC region extends from southcentral Alaska to northwest California along the coast and stretches up to 150 miles inland to the crests of the Cascade and Coast Mountain Ranges. Verdant temperate rainforests dominate a landscape peppered by prairies and woodlands in the south, many glaciers in the north, and subalpine and alpine habitats at the highest elevations. The NPLCC region is home to iconic grizzly bear and salmon, a robust outdoor recreation industry, and a wide range of habitats crucial for the survival of many species and critical to the Way of Life for many Tribes, First Nations, and Native Alaskans. Many of these species, habitats, and ecosystems are already experiencing the effects of a changing climate.
Since climate change scenarios generally project a further increase in the atmospheric carbon dioxide concentration and an associated exacerbation of climate change effects, adaptation is emerging as an appropriate response to the unavoidable impacts of climate change. Adaptive actions such as incorporating climate projections into forestry practices and increasing or linking protected areas and habitats expected to persist over time can reduce a system‘s vulnerability and increase its capacity to be resilient to changing conditions. Ultimately, successful climate change adaptation will enhance the ability of natural and human communities to prepare for, accommodate, or cope with current and future climatic changes.
An extensive compilation of climate change effects and adaptation approaches specific to the terrestrial ecosystems of the North Pacific Landscape Conservation Cooperative (NPLCC) geography.
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