scholarly journals Agency plans are inadequate to conserve US endangered species under climate change

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Aimee Delach ◽  
Astrid Caldas ◽  
Kiel Edson ◽  
Robb Krehbiel ◽  
Sarah Murray ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Endangered Species ◽  
Endangered Species Act ◽  
Government Policies ◽  
Species Sensitivity ◽  
Climate Change Vulnerability ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
Sensitivity Factors ◽  
Plan Management

AbstractDespite widespread evidence of climate change as a threat to biodiversity, it is unclear whether government policies and agencies are adequately addressing this threat to species1–4. We evaluate species sensitivity, a component of climate change vulnerability, and whether climate change is discussed as a threat in planning for climate-related management action in official documents from 1973-2018 for all 459 US animals listed as endangered under the Endangered Species Act. We find that 99.8% of species are sensitive to one or more of eight sensitivity factors, but agencies consider climate change as a threat to only 64% of species and plan management actions for only 18% of species. Agencies are more likely to plan actions for species sensitive to more factors, but such planning has declined since 2016. Results highlight the gap between climate change sensitivity and the attention from agencies charged with conserving endangered species.

scholarly journals Cusk (Brosme brosme) and climate change: assessing the threat to a candidate marine fish species under the US Endangered Species Act

2012 ◽  
Vol 69 (10) ◽  
pp. 1753-1768 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan A. Hare ◽  
John P. Manderson ◽  
Janet A. Nye ◽  
Michael A. Alexander ◽  
Peter J. Auster ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Habitat Fragmentation ◽  
Endangered Species ◽  
Marine Fish ◽  
Fish Species ◽  
Endangered Species Act ◽  
Marine Fish Species ◽  
Northwest Atlantic ◽  
The Us ◽  
Us Endangered Species Act

AbstractHare, J.A., Manderson, J.P., Nye, J.A., Alexander, M.A., Auster, P.J., Borggaard, D.L., Capotondi, A.M., Damon-Randall, K.B., Heupel, E., Mateo, I., O'Brien, L., Richardson, D.E., Stock, C.A., and Biege, S.T. 2012. Cusk (Brosme brosme) and climate change: assessing the threat to a candidate marine fish species under the US Endangered Species Act. – ICES Journal of Marine Science, 69: 1753–1768. In the Northwest Atlantic Ocean cusk (Brosme brosme) has declined dramatically, primarily as a result of fishing activities. These declines have led to concern about its status, which has prompted reviews under the US Endangered Species Act and the Canadian Species at Risk Act. Changes in distribution and abundance of a number of marine fish in the Northwest Atlantic have been linked to climate variability and change, suggesting that both fishing and climate may affect the status of cusk. Our goal was to evaluate potential effects of climate change on Northwest Atlantic cusk distribution. Coupling a species niche model with the output from an ensemble of climate models, we projected cusk distribution in the future. Our results indicate cusk habitat in the region will shrink and fragment, which is a result of a spatial mismatch between high complexity seafloor habitat and suitable temperature. The importance of habitat patch connectivity for cusk is poorly understood, so the population-level consequences of climate-related habitat fragmentation are uncertain. More broadly, climate change may reduce appropriate thermal habitat and increase habitat fragmentation for other cold-water species in the region; thereby, increasing the potential for regional overexploitation and extirpation.

Climate Change, Marine Environments, and the U.S. Endangered Species Act

2013 ◽  
Vol 27 (6) ◽  
pp. 1138-1146 ◽  
Author(s):  
ERIN E. SENEY ◽  
MELANIE J. ROWLAND ◽  
RUTH ANN LOWERY ◽  
ROGER B. GRIFFIS ◽  
MICHELLE M. McCLURE
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Endangered Species ◽  
Endangered Species Act ◽  
Marine Environments ◽  
The U.S

Assessing wetland climate change vulnerability for wetland management decision support using the hydrogeological landscape framework: application in the Australian Capital Territory

2019 ◽  
Vol 70 (2) ◽  
pp. 225
Author(s):  
A. L. Cowood ◽  
J. Young ◽  
T. I. Dowling ◽  
C. L. Moore ◽  
R. Muller ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Climate Change ◽  
Hazard Assessment ◽  
Wetland Management ◽  
Management Decision ◽  
Anthropogenic Pressure ◽  
Australian Capital Territory ◽  
Australian Capital ◽  
Climate Change Vulnerability ◽  
Management Actions ◽  
Hydrogeological Characteristics

The hydrogeological landscape (HGL) framework provides a landscape characterisation method that identifies areas of similar physical, hydrogeological, hydrological, chemical and biological properties, referred to as HGL units. The underlying principle of the HGL framework is that water distribution and movement is controlled by climate, landform, geology, regolith, soil and vegetation properties. By understanding the patterns of variability in the setting and controls of atmospheric, surface and groundwater systems for a given landscape, the developed HGL units, and associated landscape element-based management areas, can be used for hazard assessment and natural resource management centred on water availability, quality, sustainability and associated ecological systems. Existing wetland frameworks also demonstrate that it is the hydrogeomorphological or hydrogeological characteristics of the landscape that will determine the variability in water inputs and outputs for a wetland water balance, a principle shared with the HGL framework. It is therefore logical that HGL units and management areas can be used as planning units for wetland hazard assessment and management. This paper presents an assessment of climate change vulnerability for 1296 wetlands across the Australian Capital Territory using indicators representing current anthropogenic pressure, future ecological change and future hydrological change. The use of management areas for the hazard assessment allows understanding of the patterns of variability in the chosen indicators and hazard assessment outcomes specifically for the areas to be managed. This approach allows consideration of the landscape setting when identifying suitable locations to undertake on-ground management actions to address the hazards identified.

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