Prior to the announcement of the national climate mitigation strategy on June 25th, the Obama administration launched its National Fish, Wildlife, and Plants (NFWP) Climate Adaptation Strategy. The national climate change adaptation strategy was released on March 26th, three months ahead of the mitigation strategy. It focuses on resiliency in the face of climate change. The NFWP strategy “provides a unified approach – reflecting shared principles and science-based practices – for reducing the negative impacts of climate change on fish, wildlife, plants, and the natural system upon which they depend.”
The strategy took two years and employs the expertise at all levels of government (federal, state, and tribal) as well as non-profit sector organizations and the American public, As stated by the NFWP team, “Fish, wildlife, and plants provide jobs, food, clean water, storm protection, health benefits and many other important ecosystem services that support people, communities and economies across the nation. Action is needed now to help safeguard these valuable natural resources and the communities that depend on them in a changing climate.”
More than 55,000 Americans contributed as did almost 100 researchers and managers across the country.
As explained in a Dept. of Interior press release the goal is “to assist fish, wildlife, and plants, and related ecological processes in becoming more resilient, adapting to, and surviving the impacts of climate change.”
Co-chaired by the USFWS, NOAA, and the NYS DEC, a Steering Committee comprised of representatives from 15 federal agencies with management authorities for fish, wildlife, plants, or their habitat, along with representatives from five state fish and wildlife agencies and two inter-tribal commissions is responsible for implementing the NFWP Climate Adaptation Strategy.
“The Strategy is a comprehensive, multi-partner response that takes a 21st-century approach developed by the American public for sustaining fish, wildlife, and plant resources and the services they provide – now and into the future.”
Perhaps most importantly the strategy makes the issue of climate change a national strategic priority.
© 2013, Richard Matthews. All rights reserved.
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