Goal: Identify actions that will maximize the adaptive capacity of priority species, habitat, and ecosystems to support an ecologically connected Central Valley landscape. The CA LCC will bring partners together to cooperatively agree on strategic climate-smart adaptation goals, objectives, strategies, and actions for the Central Valley landscape. The project area is the Central Valley due to its high vulnerability to numerous stressors including continuing land use changes, increasing temperatures, drought, and loss of important habitats. The target audience is natural resource managers and decision makers in the Central Valley. The approach includes assessing current and potential future conditions of priority resources to guide adaptation options. Implementing adaptation options will yield an ecologically connected landscape with core areas, buffers, and corridors that have been established through land management, land protection, and restoration actions. Project Deliverables: Identification of priority resources collectively developed by a broad set of partners Vulnerability assessments and/or scenario planning for identified priority resources based on existing data and climate information Climate-smart adaptation strategies developed for the priority resources based on vulnerability assessments and/or scenario plans Building from the adaptation strategies, spatially explicit conservation options that will support resilience and adaptation of priority resources An online toolbox and outreach plan to help partners use and apply the conservation options for their organization. A “lessons learned” document to inform similar efforts.
