This project directly addresses the need for integration of climate change information and strategies into Wisconsin’s Wildlife Action Plan (WWAP) as identified by Upper Midwest and Great Lakes Land Conservation Cooperative. Wisconsin’s WWAP is used as a major conservation planning tool by state agencies and partners, but this tool currently lacks information on climate change. At the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR), the WWAP informs master planning for state‐owned properties, influences land acquisition priorities, and provides direction for management, inventory, and research. As a user‐friendly, detailed, web‐based resource, the WWAP is also available to other conservation organizations and private landowners. Given the significance of this plan to WDNR day‐to‐day operations and long‐range planning, as well as to external partners, it is essential that climate change issues be addressed.
Objectives:
1. Compile literature, white papers, and other unpublished reports or models that are pertinent to climate change impacts on natural communities. Present this information in a format such that experts, conservation managers and planners may readily interpret and synthesize them. Associated deliverables:
- Annotated bibliography with abstracts. Within the confines of copyright laws, provide links to PDFs of review articles and other foundational resources (e.g., climate change models).
- With the assistance of statewide experts, develop detailed climate change vulnerability assessments for natural communities not sufficiently covered by previous efforts. Associated deliverables:
- Climate change vulnerability statements incorporated into each natural community and linked to each Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) in the WWAP.
- With the assistance of conservation managers, statewide experts, and other stakeholders, identify strategies for adapting to climate change impacts on natural communities, Ecological Landscapes, and Conservation Opportunity Areas (as defined in the WWAP). Associated deliverables:
- Electronic survey developed with guidance from WDNR Science Services.
- Tabulated results of electronic survey administered to conservation managers, statewide experts, and other stakeholders.
- Adaptation strategies tied to specific natural communities, Ecological Landscapes and Conservation Opportunity Areas.
- Incorporate information compiled in Objectives 1‐3 into Wisconsin’s Wildlife Action Plan. Associated
deliverables:
- Refined COA boundaries that reflect consideration of potential climate change impacts along with other variables.
- Concise climate change vulnerability statements, general adaptation strategies, and specific adaptation strategies in the WWAP and corresponding website for each natural community type, Ecological Landscape, and Conservation Opportunity Area.
5. Share information and resources developed in Objectives 1‐3 with statewide stakeholders as well as
colleagues in other states. Associated deliverables:
- WWAP Coordinators from neighboring Upper Midwestern states invited to join vulnerability workshops, and kept apprised of this project and resulting resources.
- Annotated bibliography with abstracts made available electronically.
- Full report with detailed narrative describing the findings derived from Objectives 1‐3 posted on the Internet.
Results of this project contributed to the following:
1. In a 2015 update, we incorporated climate change vulnerability statements into Wisconsin’s Wildlife Action Plan (WWAP) for 63 natural communities. Climate change information is incorporated into chapters describing broad groups of natural communities (northern forests, southern forests, savannas, barrens, grasslands, non-forested wetlands, aquatic, miscellaneous). These chapters can be read or downloaded at http://dnr.wi.gov/topic/wildlifehabitat/actionplan.html.
2. In 2016, we posted factsheets describing climate change vulnerabilities of 10 broad natural community groups on the website for the Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts (WICCI). These can be found here: http://www.wicci.wisc.edu/plants-and-natural-communities-working-group.php
3. In 2017, we posted detailed technical bulletins describing climate change vulnerability of 52 natural communities in Wisconsin on the WICCI website: http://www.wicci.wisc.edu/plants-and-natural-communities-working-group.php
