By Caroline Pufalt
Climate change is happening now. Governments and individuals who realize that are planning for the future. Actions are being taken to limit greenhouse gas emissions, reduce fossil fuel use and in some areas plan for physical changes such as protection for cities against rising sea levels.
But what about non human habitat? What plans are underway to prepare forests, wetlands, grasslands, marine environments etc for climate change? Is it even possible or realistic to take any action to address climate change impacts to these ecosystems?
Recently a group of about 45 Sierrans met to discuss these issues. The group included volunteers and staff who work in related areas such as wildlife protection, public lands, National Park issues, marine habitats etc. They considered what we know now about climate change and natural habitats and what we think can help ensure that habitats are resilient in the face of change.
One point to consider, that may seem obvious to us but not necessarily to others, that while we refer to non human natural habitat, we are all dependent on those natural habitats too. We rely on natural habitats for watershed protection, for biological diversity and all its benefits, for temperature control, resources, for recreation and many other benefits.
The warnings and consequences are dire. We could lose one quarter of the earth’s plant and animal species by the end of the century. That is what will happen if global warming continues unabated and we take no action to help wildlife adapt to increased temperatures, so predicts the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.
Some climate change impacts are already happening. Extreme drought and other weather related changes are already impacting some areas. Such changes may result in increased diseases, loss of food sources and even competition from new species in impacted habitats.
Left unchecked specific losses will likely include the disappearance of moose and maple trees from New England, loss of coral reefs and their associated marine habitats, loss of most of the Florida Everglades, loss of many cold water fish, such as trout, in American streams and major changes in our hallmark National Parks, such as Yellowstone.
If we want wildlife to survive and ecosystems to remain healthy even while transitioning, we will need to take several challenging steps. According to experts in the field the following are some key features of that challenge.
Cut global warming emissions by 80%• so that climate change is minimized. Potential temperature change predictions due to global warming are generally thought to range between 2 to 6 degrees Celsius. If we can keep closer to the 2 degree change, we may be able to manage that change. If we experience 6 degree change there is little we can do to avoid major species and habitat loss.
Protect adequate and • appropriate space by protecting large core areas, providing buffer zones and habitat corridors.
Limit or eliminate non-• climate stresses such as reducing habitat fragmentation, invasive species and human disruptions.
Where necessary provide adaptive • management interventions to insure species survival. This might involve specific re-introduction of native species, migration assistance, pest controls and assisting natural processes through efforts such as prescribed burnings.
What does this mean for Missouri? See Alan Journet’s article page ___ for a discussion on climate change and natural habitats in our state.
Promoting resilient habitats in the face of climate change requires that we continue to do much of what we already do. Only now our work takes on additional significance. For example, wilderness areas which are protected from road building, logging, motorized intrusions and other human impacts, can provide a protected core for a resilient habitat. Low impact resource management in surrounding areas can ease habitat stress.
Encouraging conservation easements, public land ownership consolidations, greater protection for riparian or streamside habitats (which can assist in migration corridors) all can play a role. Federal, state and private lands can all make a contribution.
But how will species migrate across major highways or developed waterways? One could also hope that recent floods will remind people of the advantage of undeveloped floodplains as sensible planning as well as habitat protection. Highways may need to include migration crossovers or underpasses to encourage safe crossings.
The fourth item above, adaptive management intervention, may prove the most controversial. When would it be necessary or the best strategy to assist species migration, for example? One thinks of the many but only limited successful efforts to assist salmon in migration. What to do when a species appears in imminent peril? Remember the controversy over whether to capture and breed the last of the California condor? Such choices will need to be made on a case by case basis. But as we tackle the challenges of climate change we will need to keep a flexible and analytical attitude to ensure good, or at least better choices in difficult circumstances.
Part of this challenge will be to insist that climate change be a factor in public land management. The record so far on this has been dismal. Despite a 2001 directive to consider climate change and mitigations needed in all levels of planning, a 2007 Governmental Accountability Office report concluded that very little had been done.
Perhaps a change in administration in 2009, combined with increased awareness of the reality of climate change will result in an improved response. But part of that pressure will always need to be citizen activism, such as that Sierrans can provide.
The Sierra Club has made responding to climate change a major priority. Over our 100 year plus history we have risen to many challenges and this is one of the most daunting. We are working hard in helping this country develop an effective energy policy in response to climate change. But in order to address all facets of climate changed, we also need to draw on one of our traditional strengths, our concern about wild areas and the life within them. This is a challenge to which we are well suited. Sierra Club Harvest Celebration 2008.