Abstract
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) is one of the oldest conservation organizations in the United States and is the only federal agency solely charged with conserving fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats. The agency leads numerous conservation initiatives, such as protecting and recovering endangered species, managing almost 600 wildlife refuges throughout all states and territories, enforcing federal wildlife laws, and regulating international wildlife trade. In the past, these activities have not accounted for climate change. The accelerating biodiversity crisis, in combination with climate uncertainty, adds to the existing complexity associated with responding to multiple anthropogenic stressors. Here we describe current practice and thinking related to climate uncertainty and management of USFWS resources. We focus on three agency domains which represent various conservation planning responsibilities: evaluating species to be listed as threatened or endangered, Habitat Conservation Plans for listed species, and land management techniques on wildlife refuges. Integrating climate considerations into agency planning documents is complex and we highlight effective current applications and suggest future improvements. Additionally, we identify outstanding research needs or management applications, and updates to existing policy that will aid in developing improved conservation strategies. Our synthesis contributes to ongoing efforts to incorporate climate uncertainty into conservation planning, natural resource management, and related policy revisions.
Highlights
IntroductionHerds of American bison (Bison bison) estimated to have numbered 30 million were systematically slaughtered throughout the 1800s with only 540 individuals remaining by 1886 [4]
A thorough understanding of how climate change affects biodiversity is integral to effective conservation planning and sustainable natural resource management
Many North American wildlife species have recovered from catastrophic declines in the past and this offers hope that conservation efforts can reverse biodiversity loss
Summary
Herds of American bison (Bison bison) estimated to have numbered 30 million were systematically slaughtered throughout the 1800s with only 540 individuals remaining by 1886 [4] The demise of such previously abundant species prompted public outcry and contributed to the creation of federal legislation designed to conserve wildlife. Grant set aside the Pribilof Islands in 1868 to protect the northern fur seal (Callorhinus ursinus) [5] Another conservation milestone was the establishment of the Division of Economic Ornithology and Mammalogy in 1886, one of the federal agencies that would eventually become the United States Fish and Wildlife. Wildlife, and other natural resources remain threatened by numerous anthropogenic stressors including habitat loss and degradation, invasive species, overexploitation, lack of enforcement in protected areas, nonnative disease, and pollution [21]. Our review demonstrates a path forward for wildlife managers flummoxed by climate uncertainty and provides insight into natural-resource management planning and decision making
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