How to Consider Climate Change in Coastal Conservation (Workshop 2 of a 3-part series)
Mission-Aransas National Estuarine Research Reserve
9:00 Introductions
9:15 Review of 6-part framework for conservation planning considering climate change
9:30 Identifying non-climate stressors and evaluating their impact on conservation targets. These are the natural and/or human activities that immediately degrade a conservation target.
Examples:
- Habitat fragmentation through residential/industrial development, roads, infrastructure, agriculture, or forestry activities
- Alterations to hydrolologic regime such as dams, culverts
- Pollution, invasive species, unsustainable extraction, overuse resulting in degradation of land or water
Subjects covered:
- National Fish, Wildlife, and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy
- C-CAP Land Cover Atlas
- Landscape Fragmentation Tools
- Landcover Data & Water Quality Indicators
- Impervious Surface Analysis
- Coastal flood mapper
- Environmental Sensitivity Index
- IUCN's Threat and Action Classifications
- River & stream frameworks for conservation
11:00 Break
11:15 Guest Speaker
12:00 Lunch
1:00 Identify climate stressors that can affect conservation targets by amplifying the impacts of non-climate stressors (part 1)
Examples:
- Increased flooding and droughts from changes in the magnitude and frequency of extreme weather events impacting sediment movement, water levels, salinity regimes, habitats downstream
- Changes in temperature (air & water) resulting in species shifts
- Sea level change, coastal habitat inundation, migration pathway alteration, salt intrusion
- Water chemistry changes (ocean acidification)
Subjects Covered:
- National Clmate Assessment (Gulf Region)
- Identifying time horizons
- Identifying climate projections to consider
- U.S. EPA climate change indicators
2:15 Guest speaker
3:00 Identify climate stressors that can affect conservation targets by amplifying the impacts of non-climate stressors (part 2)
Subjects covered:
- Adaptation options for coastal areas
- Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment Tool for Coastal Habitat
- Vulnerability Assessments
- Sea Level Rise view tools
- SLAMM
- Marshes on the Move
- Ocean Adapt
- Climate Registry for the Assessment of Vulnerability
4:00 Wrap Up