A public meeting was held in Albany on Thursday, February 9 to discuss the National Fish, Wildlife and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy, which is currently in draft form.
It was co-hosted by The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies.
The strategy is intended to reduce negative impacts of climate change on fish, wildlife, plants and the natural systems they depend upon.
It will guide the nation’s efforts during the next five years and involves agencies and groups from across the nation.Current and future climate change impacts include changing species distributions and migration patterns, the spread of wildlife diseases and invasive species, and changes in freshwater availability with shifting precipitation and habitat types.
“For more than a century, state fish and wildlife agencies have been entrusted by the public to be good stewards of their natural resources,” said Patricia Riexinger, director of the Division of Fish, Wildlife and Marine Resources for DEC.
That means responding to threats, including those caused by today’s climate change, she said.
With future conditions being uncertain, increased conservation and science-based management is needed to maintain our ecosystems, Riexinger said.
Jane Lubchenco, Ph.D., agrees. She is with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
“We all have important roles to play in preparing all regions of our nation in a changing climate,” she said.
In 2010, Congress called for a national, government-wide strategy and directed the President’s Council on Environmental Quality (CEQ) and the Department of the Interior to develop it.
More than 100 diverse researchers and managers from across the country participated in the drafting for the partnership.
The partnership includes the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s Division of Fish, Wildlife and Marine Resources, representing state fish and wildlife agencies. The strategy does not prescribe mandatory activities agencies must take nor suggest regulatory actions.
Rather, it provides a roadmap for decision makers and resource managers to use in considering climate change implications to their ongoing wildlife and habitat management activities.
The Public Review Draft of the National Fish, Wildlife and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy is available for public review.
Comments can be sent to the Office of the Science Advisor, Attn: National Fish, Wildlife, and Plants Climate Adaptation Strategy, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 4401 N. Fairfax Drive Suite 222, Arlington, VA 22203.
