Climate Adaptation Knowledge Exchange: Building an Adaptation Community

A workshop at 17th Annual Conference of The Wildlife Society
Saturday, October 2, 8 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Snowbird, Utah
Synopsis
While many researchers, conservation practitioners and resource managers understand the reality of climate change they are often still challenged by what to do about it. As a result the conservation community needs assistance in developing its thinking on dealing with climate change, finding the information or data it needs to make informed decisions, and finding people to interact with on this topic as individuals develop their own approaches. This half-day workshop will provide context, guidance, and examples of how climate change adaptation or resilience building is being addressed in these fields. It will also invite participants to become part of a scientific and management community aimed at building a robust field of climate change adaptation in the hopes of making it definable and approachable to a broader community. Participants will be introduced to a new, interactive online tool called the Climate Adaptation Knowledge Exchange (CAKE), which can help support practitioners’ efforts. Participants will begin to develop climate change adaptation and resilience strategies for incorporation in their own work through presentation of case studies, exploration of CAKE, and discussion of personal experiences. Discussion will focus on successes and challenges – what has worked and what has not – as well as what information might be needed that is not currently or readily available. Participants will also have access to spatial data organization and visualization tools provided by the Data Basin Climate Center, one of CAKE’s primary partners.
Lara Hansen, EcoAdapt Chief Scientist and Executive Director, will facilitate the workshop and provide a primer to climate change adaptation. Rachel Gregg, EcoAdapt Scientist, will provide a tour of CAKE (www.cakex.org) and its functionality. Tosha Comendant, Conservation Biology Institute Senior Conservation Biologist, will provide an overview of Data Basin (www.databasin.org), highlighting the Climate Center and some key features relevant to wildlife management.

Workshop Handout: About Data Basin

Useful reading:
Climate Change and Wildlife Conservation Working Group. 2010. Climate Change Adaptation for Conservation Targets (ACT) Framework.
Manomet Center for Conservation Sciences and Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. 2010. Climate Change and Massachusetts Fish and Wildlife. Volume 1, Volume 2, and Volume 3.
Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. 2006. Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy. Chapter synopses, State Programs, and the report available at http://www.mass.gov/dfwele/dfw/habitat/management/habitat_mgt.htm
The Nature Conservancy. 2010. Climate Change and Conservation: A Primer for Assessing Impacts and Advancing Ecosystem‐based Adaptation in The Nature Conservancy.
Theoharides, K., G. Barnhart, and P. Glick. 2009. Climate change adaptation across the landscape: a survey of federal and state agencies, conservation organizations, and academic institutions in the United States. Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, Defenders of Wildlife, The Nature Conservancy, and The National Wildlife Federation.
Western Governors Assocation. 2010. Climate Adaptation Priorities for the Western States: Scoping Report
Mawdsley, J.R., O'Malley, R. and Ojima, D.S. 2009. A Review of Climate-Change Adaptation Strategies for Wildlife Management and Biodiversity Conservation
Climate Change Wildlife Action Plan Work Group and Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies Climate Change and Teaming with Wildlife Committees. 2010. Voluntary Guidance for States to Incorporate Climate Change into State Wildlife Action Plans & Other Management Plans
Florida Reef Resilience Program. 2010. Climate Change Action Plan For The Florida Reef System 2010-2015