Assessing Vulnerability of Washington State's Species and Habitats of Greatest Conservation Need
State Wildlife Action Plans (SWAPs) assess the
current status of a state’s wildlife and habitats,
including identifying the key threats they face
and the actions needed to conserve them over
the long term. Although many of us recognize
the current and likely future impacts of climate
change on wildlife and habitats, integrating
that information into management and
planning continues to be a challenge.
In 2015,
the Washington Department of Fish & Wildlife
(WDFW), armed with funding from the North
Pacific Landscape Conservation Cooperative
(NPLCC), partnered with EcoAdapt
to conduct a rapid vulnerability assessment
for 30 habitats and 268 species of greatest
conservation need. Information from the vulnerability assessment was integrated directly into Washington’s
2015 SWAP, and highlights approximately
35 highly vulnerable species and five highly
vulnerable habitats for which climate change
presents a significant conservation challenge.
The assessment provides an important
foundation for state resource managers
to begin understanding what fish, wildlife,
and habitats are most vulnerable and why.
Following the release of the Washington SWAP, EcoAdapt developed a set of
climate vulnerability fact sheets for shrub-steppe, riparian, and east-side and west-side forest habitats and species. Each fact sheet highlights key
vulnerability information and adaptation options, and provides a unique tool
for communicating climate implications both within the agency and with external
partners and stakeholders.
