Step 3 Reviewing/Revising Goals Nicholas Fisichelli, Cat Hawkins Hoffman NPS Climate Change Response Program

Session Objectives Identify appropriate level of goals/objectives for consideration Interpret vulnerability assessment results and how they might affect achievability of goals Describe climate-informed goals and objectives that reflect revisions as needed Describe how climate-informed goals address the dual pathways of persistence and change

Where we are…

Step 3 Review/Revise Conservation Goals Inputs Existing targets, goals, management objectives Understanding of system/target vulnerabilities Outputs Agreed-upon set of climate- informed conservation targets, goals, management objectives Review/ Revise Conservation Goals

Start where you are How to reconsider your current conservation goals Build on SMART principles, but reconsider…. What (conservation target) Why (intended outcomes or desired condition) Where (relevant geographic scope) When (relevant timeframe)

Why reconsider our conservation goals? “I know it when I see it…” maintain natural abundance, diversity, and genetic and ecological integrity of (native) plant and animal species… maintain natural abundance, diversity, and genetic and ecological integrity of (native) plant and animal species… natural? Climate change exposes lack of specificity in our goals conserve biodiversity conserve biodiversity… species? genetic? provide favorable feeding, nesting, and roosting habitat for trust species on the refuge on the refuge… favorable?

Why reconsider our conservation goals? Climate change challenges existing strategies Aiming “backwards” towards the historic range of variability as a management target will be increasingly futile Out of Reach…

Why reconsider our conservation goals? Climate change challenges existing strategies Aiming “backwards” towards the historic range of variability as a management target will be increasingly futile “ Our dominant conservation strategy, the designation of reserves, is mismatched to a world that is increasingly dynamic.” (Comacho, et al, 2010) wildlifetrusts.or g ….Out of style Out of Reach…

Why reconsider our conservation goals? Evolving needs and demands Climate change may alter our values and priorities in times of drought… celcius.com dfg.ca.gov maintaining adequate water supplies for agricultural areas or waterfowl conservation or waterfowl conservation

Why reconsider our conservation goals? Evolving needs and demands under sea level rise… Climate change may alter our values and priorities bneinc.com learnnc.org coastal homes, or salt marsh

Maintain healthy rangeland ecosystems with livestock grazing to provide a desirable mix of age class and species composition. Discuss examples of existing goals and objectives and whether/how they may or may not be forward- looking and climate-informed. ….what, why, where, when Class Discussion: Existing Goals and Objectives

Goal for Bonneville cutthroat trout Ensure the long-term viability and persistence of Bonneville cutthroat trout within its historical range in Idaho at levels capable of providing angling opportunities. Class Discussion ….what, why, where, when Goal for Bonneville cutthroat trout What (conservation target) Where (relevant geographic scope) When (relevant timeframe) Why (intended outcomes or desired conditions)

What are “climate-informed” goals? Climate-informed goals… Specifically consider climate change Articulate acceptable future conditions Are forward-looking Acknowledge potential trade-offs Consider broader landscape context Flexible in short-term, for long term effectiveness…avoid maladaptation Same goal, different reason = “climate-informed” “Enhance Resilience”…what’s under the label? resilience roystonlabels.co.uk

Climate-informed goals may consider… Shift from of composition and structure Shift from patterns of composition and structure Anna’s Hummingbird range… moving north

Climate-informed goals may… Shift from of composition and structure Shift from patterns of composition and structure …to …to processes maintain ecological processes, e.g. trophic interactions, intra- and inter-specific competition explicit goals to maximize evolutionary opportunities “geophysical stage” vs species geologic classes, latitude, elevation range, amount of calcareous bedrock (Anderson & Ferree, 2010)

Climate-informed goals may… Scale up to maintain diversity across larger landscapes

Climate-informed goals… Explicitly acknowledge change billfrymire.com “The goal of managing the national parks and monuments should be to preserve, or where necessary to recreate, the ecologic scene as viewed by the first European visitors. … A national park should represent a vignette of primitive America.” “…steward…resources for continuous change that is not yet fully understood” “…steward…resources for continuous change that is not yet fully understood” “Revisiting Leopold”

Persistence and Change from preservation/restoration… to open anticipation… to active facilitation of ecological change New paradigm: e.g. forests to shrubland fs.fed.us

Persistence and Change Definition of temporal and spatial scale important Maintain conditions in localized refugia (persistence) while conditions in surrounding habitats evolve (change) Maintain full diversity of native species at landscape scale (persistence); accept that species within a jurisdiction will be different (change) A spectrum of change… Persistence Change May be useful to alternate between the concepts of persistence and change in framing goals and shaping expectations

Challenges Legal Constraints Authority Can address climate change from every level NWF Beth Pratt Show stoppers are rare nwifc.org

Psychological barriers and trust Some may include: Costs &/or momentum Costs &/or momentum Perceived risks Perceived risks Positive but inadequate changes Positive but inadequate changesChallenges Limits of our knowledge Not a new situation Not a new situation Show your work Show your work

Start where you are “I couldn’t wait for success, so I started without it.” Jonathan Winters