Climate change vulnerability analysis and development of adaptation strategies for New Mexico's habitats and species of greatest conservation need

Project Description

This project will complete a spatially-explicit analysis of the impacts of climate change on New Mexico’s biodiversity and, through outreach and facilitated workshops, aims to galvanize key decision makers, land managers and wildlife managers to begin taking action to reduce these impacts. Our specific objectives are to: 1) prepare an assessment of the vulnerability of key conservation areas identified in New Mexico’s Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy, habitats, watersheds, and species of greatest conservation need (SGCN) to ongoing climate change; 2) identify science-based strat...

Project Map

Publicly Accessible: Yes
County: Torrance County, NM
Project Size:
  • 7.8424528E7 acres

Project Sites

  • New Mexico

Goals and Targets

Primary Motivations:

  • Conservation Mission

Primary Goals:

  • Prepare an assessment of the vulnerability of habitats and species of greatest conservation concern to ongoing and projected climate change.
    Progress: The project will provide vulnerability and threat maps, geospatial datasets and narrative reports. Two of the three proposed reports have been published and are available on the TNC New Mexico Conservation Science website (http://nmconservation.org). The third report and geospatial datasets will be made available in 2009.
  • Identify science-based strategies that increase resilency (adaptation capacity) of native species populations and ecosystems to local and regional climate change.
    Progress: See project description.
  • Synthesize, interpret and distribute scientific information about known and potential impacts of climate change on the biodiversity of the Southwest to key decision makers such that it is incorporated into public and private policy.
    Progress: See project description.

Consistent With Plans:

  • Nature Conservancy Ecoregional Plan
  • State Wildlife Action Plan
  • Other

Targeted Habitats:

  • Aquatic
    • Lakes and Ponds
    • Rivers and Streams
  • Forests and Woodlands
    • Conifer Forests
    • Deciduous Forests and Woodlands
  • Shrublands and Grasslands
    • Alpine and Subalpine Habitats (Meadows, Parklands and Shrublands)
    • Grasslands
    • Shrublands and Steppe
  • Special Types
    • Deserts, Playas and Ash Beds
    • Dunes
  • Wetlands and Riparian Habitats
    • Lowland Riparian Forests and Shrublands
    • Marshes, Bogs and Emergent Wetlands
    • Montane Riparian Forests and Shrublands

Targeted Species:

No targeted species were identified for this project.

Conservation Actions

Action Status Start Year End Year
Research In Progress 2006 2009
Other - Terrestrial habitat restoration and management: Prioritization for Climate Change Adaptation Actions In Progress 2006 2009
Other - Species conservation and management: Prioritization for Climate Change Adaptation Actions In Progress 2006 2009
Other - Aquatic and riparian restoration and management: Prioritization for Climate Change Adaptation Actions In Progress 2006 2009

Outcomes

Is the success of this project's actions being monitored? Yes

Monitoring Activities
We are conducting outreach of project results (maps, spatial layers, information and interpretation) and are tracking use of these in our partners' planning efforts and management actions.

Quick Facts

Owning Organization

Wildlife Conservation Society

Managing Organization

The Nature Conservancy - New Mexico
(Non-Governmental Organization)

Contact Information

Carolyn Enquist (Conservation Scientist)
The Nature Conservancy
Dave Gori (Director of Science)
The Nature Conservancy

General Information

Project #: 1787
Last Updated: January 17, 2011

Project Relations

Partners

Dr. Craig Allen - US Geological Survey
Dr. Evan Girvetz - University of Washington
Dr. Molly Cross - Wildlife Conservation Society
New Mexico Department of Game & Fish

Links

TNC New Mexico Climate Change Project
TNC New Mexico Conservation Science website

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