Landscape Conservation Cooperatives: a decisionmaking tool

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Landscape Conservation Cooperatives a
decision-making tool

• OCCRI
• October 28, 2009
• Vicki Finn U.S. Fish Wildlife Service

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Climate Change Strategic Plan

• Organized around Adaptation, Mitigation, and
  Engagement
• Comment Period closes Nov. 23
• http//www.fws.gov/home/climatechange/
• Dedicated climate change coordinators in each
  Region

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Major Concepts within Strategic Plan

• Species Habitat Vulnerability Assessments
• Risk Assessments for refuges and hatcheries
• National Inventory and Monitoring Program
• National Adaptation Strategy
• Carbon Sequestration as restoration tool
• Landscape Conservation Cooperatives

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Secretarial Order September 14, 2009

• Establishes Department of Interiors approach
• Climate Response Council (1)
• Regional Climate Change Response Centers (8)
• Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (22)
• All Bureaus to analyze climate change impacts
  when making major decisions

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Climate Change Response Council

• Coordination role with
• CEQ
• White House
• Agriculture
• Commerce
• Defense
• EPA

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Regional Climate Change Response Centers

• Synthesize and integrate climate change impact
  data
• Develop decision support tools for Department
  managers and partners
• USGS lead
• Eight Centers

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Landscape Conservation Cooperatives

• Collaborative National Network (22)
• Develop landscape-scale conservation strategies
• Focus on scientific and technical support
• Support from Regional Climate Change Response
  Centers
• Coordinate fish and wildlife adaptation efforts

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LCC principles

• Steering Committee guides
• States, NGOs, Tribes, Academia, Feds
• Honor existing partnerships while filling gaps
• Link science with managers needs
• Leverage and expertise
• Build together to benefit all

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Sample of desired climate savvy outputs

• Potential ranges of native invasive species
• Vulnerability assessments for species habitats
• Potential community composition (spp.
  assemblages)
• Potential refugia and priorities for land
  acquisition
• Potential corridors linking present and future
  habitat
• Areas of converging climate and non-climate
  stressors
• Web-based GIS decision support tools

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Desired staffing

• Cooperative coordinator
• Science and Technology coordinator
• Modelers (species, fire, and population)
• Planners (Landscape Conservation and Monitoring)
• Geomorphologist and Hydrologist
• Ecologists (Avian, Vegetation, Riparian, etc.)
• Communication/GIS/data product specialists

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FY 10 Presidents Budget

• State and Tribal Wildlife Grants 40M
• Climate Change Planning (LCCs) - 10M
• Climate Change Science Capacity - 10M
• Partners for FW - 6M
• Refuges - 12M
• Fisheries (National Fish Habitat Plan) - 2M

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Organizing a National Effort
Aggregate Bird Conservation Regions aquatic
systems to achieve Geographic Areas

• Bird Conservation Regions (BCRs)

2-Digit Hydrologic Units (watersheds) with
4-digit HU boundaries overlaid
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FY 10 LCC Priorities Nationally

• Pacific Islands
• Great Northern
• Southern Great Plains
• Northern Great Plains
• South Atlantic
• North Atlantic
• Northern Alaska
• California/South Pacific

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Pacific Islands Climate Change Cooperative
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Conservation in Transition

• Success at individual project sites will not be
  sufficient in an era of climate change.
  Therefore, the overarching aim of the Service
  will be success at the landscape scale, achieved
  by leveraging our conservation capacity with that
  of the states and the conservation community at
  large and attaining biological outcomes larger
  than those we could attain ourselves. (USFWS,
  2008)

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Give us your feedback. Help shape LCCs.

• vicki_finn_at_fws.gov
• stephen_zylstra_at_fws.gov
• Assistant Regional Director for Climate Change
  and Science Application
• carol_schuler_at_fws.gov