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Conservation Coaches Network
New Coach Training
Climate Change
teasing it apart
Key Points to
Introduce this Step
Operational
Planning
• Basic understanding of climate change &
climate adaptation is a prerequisite
• Climate change is a difficult subject fraught with
subtleties & uncertainty
• Most believe climate should be fully integrated
from the beginning
• Critical to deconstruct the elements and
associated impacts of climate change
Critical Questions
to Ask the Team
Operational
Planning
• What is the team’s level of understanding about
climate change and climate adaptation?
• What existing work has been done for the
area/region for climate change vulnerability?
• What expertise is available to assist the team?
• Are human impacts and associated responses
understood?
• Are all the levels of uncertainty considered?
Common Issues &
Recommendations
Operational
Planning
Issue: The team is not well informed about
climate change & climate adaptation
• Some basic education is needed. Get an expert who is
used to working with non-experts to provide a day of
education.
Common Issues &
Recommendations
Operational
Planning
Issue: This is the team’s first exposure to the
Open Standards
• John’s personal recommendation is not to fully address
climate change in the first pass of the planning
• Follow up with a more adequate treatment once the team is
comfortable with all of the concepts
Common Issues &
Recommendations
Operational
Planning
Issue: My team already has a strategic plan
• This is actually the most common situation – guidance has
been developed for this situation, and it not a problem to
retrofit.
Common Issues &
Recommendations
Operational
Planning
Issue: How to include Climate into existing
plan?
1.
2.
3.
Gather Existing Climate Data and Reports
Review Stakeholders
Vulnerability Assessment
A.
B.
C.
D.
E.
F.
G.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Examine Vulnerability to Current Climate Extremes
Consider the Range of Future Climate Projections
Assess Ecological Impacts of Climate Projections
Considering Future Projections, What are likely Human Responses & Associated Ecological Impacts
Capture Most Certain and Most Critical Potential Impacts as “Hypotheses of Change”
Capture All Projected Future Climate Impacts in Box & Arrow Conceptual Model(s)
Re-Rank Direct Threats
Review Targets and Goals
Identify potential climate adaptation strategies based on new conceptual model
Rank strategies by feasibility, cost, benefit, and robustness to different future climate
Develop detailed logic chains for climate adaptation strategies
Common Issues &
Recommendations
Operational
Planning
Issue: We have a vulnerability assessment,
but it is so general
• Plug the existing vulnerability information into the Open
Standards process, using conservation targets – this will
probably raise a number of unanswered questions for more
specific and targeted further research/monitoring.
Common Issues &
Recommendations
Operational
Planning
Issue: The actual “threat” is excess CO2
emissions, but there isn’t much the team
can do about that…
• While not technically correct, we currently recommend
treating the various elements of climate change (sea level
rise, elevated air & ocean temps, more frequent & severe
storms, etc.) as threats for planning purposes. That allows
ranking vs. other threats, understanding the synergies
between climate and other threats.
Common Issues &
Recommendations
Operational
Planning
Issue: It might be that human reaction to
climate change is worse than the changes
themselves
• Human efforts to reinforce riverbanks, shorelines, impound
water, etc. may often be worse than if the ecosystem was
left to adjust naturally. Thus, it is absolutely critical to
understand how human systems (social, infrastructure,
etc.) will be affected so that the team can start to
understand the full range of threats to natural systems.
Common Issues &
Recommendations
Operational
Planning
Issue: The climate projections for our area are
all over the map – they don’t agree.
• It’s important to know that, just as it’s also important to
know if they do agree. If they do agree, then there is a bit
less uncertainty.
• Focus on agreement/lack of agreement, and trends.
Common Issues &
Recommendations
Operational
Planning
Issue: Should we design strategies to address
catastrophic impacts that have an uncertain
probability of occurring?
• At this point, it’s probably worth discussing these and even
brainstorming strategies. But we don’t suggest putting too
much effort into detailing out such strategies until we know
more.
• Focus on strategies that reduce uncertainty (ecological
research & monitoring, climate monitoring) or “no regrets”
strategies (providing additional protection to reefs that seem
resistant to coral bleaching).
Helpful Hints
Operational
Planning
• Consider having a climate adaptation expert on their team – or
at least have access to one.
• Due to the uncertainty, and in order to influence development
paths, it may be helpful to develop more than one scenario –
climate scenarios, development scenarios.
• Try to get the team to understand how their conservation
targets are already vulnerable to climate – these same themes
(temperatures, disturbances) are likely to be more variable in
future climates.
• Given the uncertainties, encourage your team to take climate
projections with a grain of salt.
periodic high water
temperatures
hurricanes
Intense storms & flooding
COASTAL
HABITATS
drought
MANGROVES
SEABIRDS
MAMMALS
FRESHWATER
WETLANDS
SEAGRASSES
REEF FISH
CORAL REEFS