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Conservation in the face of climate change: The roles of alternative models, monitoring, and adaptation in confronting and reducing uncertainty
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The broad physical and biological principles behind climate change and its potential large scale ecological impacts on biota are fairly well understood, although likely responses of biotic communities at fine spatio-temporal scales are not, limiting the ability of conservation programs to respond effectively to climate change outside the range of human experience. Much of the climate debate has focused on attempts to resolve key uncertainties in a hypothesis-testing framework. However, conservation decisions cannot await resolution of these scientific issues and instead must proceed in the face of uncertainty. We suggest that conservation should precede in an adaptive management framework, in which decisions are guided by predictions under multiple, plausible hypotheses about climate impacts. Under this plan, monitoring is used to evaluate the response of the system to climate drivers, and management actions (perhaps experimental) are used to confront testable predictions with data, in turn providing feedback for future decision making. We illustrate these principles with the problem of mitigating the effects of climate change on terrestrial bird communities in the southern Appalachian Mountains, USA.
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Reports & Documents
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Conservation Strategy for Imperiled Aquatic Species in the UTRB
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The Strategy provides guidance to Field Offices in reevaluating current ("status quo") conservation approaches in order to deliver the most cost effective approach toward the conservation and management of imperiled freshwater fish and mussel species in the Upper Tennessee River Basin.
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The Strategy
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Energy Assessment News Release
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A new study and online mapping tool by the Appalachian Landscape Conservation Cooperative (LCC) and The Nature Conservancy are intended to inform discussions among conservation agencies and organizations, industry, policy makers, regulators and the public on how to protect essential natural resources while realizing the benefits of increased domestic energy production.
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Tools & Resources
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Assessing Future Energy Development
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Floodplain Prioritization Tool
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The Floodplain Prioritization Tool helps decision-makers identify critical opportunities for floodplain protection and restoration in the Mississippi River Basin. It is an interactive, web-based mapping tool.
Users can prioritize different criteria (e.g., water quality, wildlife habitat, and human exposure to flooding) on the map to see where floodplain restoration and conservation is likely to have the greatest impact. Developed by The Nature Conservancy and partners.
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Apps, Maps, & Data
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Landscape Partnership Spatial Datasets
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Aquatic and Freshwater Spatial Data
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Interactive Conservation Planning for the Appalachian LCC
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The Appalachian LCC is currently engaged in an effort to develop a draft regional conservation plan for the Cooperative using an interactive and iterative spatial prioritization framework. Using available data and modeling approaches that are well supported in the literature, researchers from Clemson University are developing conservation planning models that include site selection, ecological threat assessments, and broad ranging habitat and ecological connectivity analyses.
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Research
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Landscape Conservation Design Phase II: Assessing Aquatic Integrity
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Over the last year, a coordinated series of consultations with experts across the region has resulted in priority aquatic species, habitats, and ecosystems into Phase II of the Appalachian LCC Landscape Conservation Design (LCD).
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News & Events
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Landscape Conservation Design: Initial Products and Expert Consultations for the Appalachian Mountains and Western River Basins
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Over the last couple years, the Appalachian LCC has supported the development of a science-based, regional-scale design commonly called a “Landscape Conservation Design (LCD)” or “Conservation Blueprint”.
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News & Events
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New Study Looks at Future of Appalachian Energy Development
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A new study and online mapping tool released by the Appalachian Landscape Conservation Cooperative (LCC) and The Nature Conservancy are intended to inform discussions among conservation agencies and organizations, industry, policy makers, regulators and the public on how to protect essential natural resources while realizing the benefits of increased domestic energy production.
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News & Events
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North Carolina Natural Heritage Program
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North Carolina Natural Heritage Program's mission is to provide science and incentives to inform conservation decisions and support conservation of significant natural areas in North Carolina.
By gathering and sharing information about rare species and natural communities, the Program ensures public access to information that is needed to weigh the ecological significance of natural areas and to evaluate potential ecological impacts of conservation and development projects. The Program sits within the North Carolina Department of Natural and Cultural Resources.
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LP Members
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Organizations Search
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Northeast Conservation Planning Atlas
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The Northeast Conservation Planning Atlas is a science-based mapping platform that provides access to high-quality geospatial datasets, maps and information to facilitate partner-driven conservation from Maritime Canada to the Appalachians. Produced by the Conservation Biology Institute.
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Apps, Maps, & Data
