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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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Bald Eagle Nest Monitoring Program Launched by Maryland Bird Conservation Initiative
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The recovery of our national symbol, the Bald Eagle, is considered one of the greatest conservation successes of the 20th century.
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News & Events
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Partners in Flight 2016 Landbird Conservation Plan Released
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Scientists Document Widespread Declines, Urgent Need for Conservation of Landbirds in U.S. and Canada. Report calls for unprecedented partnerships across public and private sectors to reverse trends throughout bird’s life-cycles.
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News & Events
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Nations Celebrate Centennial of Landmark Migratory Bird Treaty
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Agreement between U.S. and Canada responsible for many successes in bird conservation; will help us meet challenges that lie ahead.
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News & Events
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Managing Forests for Birds Video Series
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A new video series by the Ohio Bird Conservation Initiative highlights the importance of proper forest management in improving a diversity of habitat for birds and other wildlife.
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News & Events
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Bringing Back Diversity in Eastern Forests for Landowners, Wildlife
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What do biologists look for in a healthy forest? A diversity in the ages and composition of trees and occasional breaks in canopy to allow sunlight to reach understory plants.
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News & Events
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Appalachian Mountains Joint Venture Technical Committee Meeting
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Annual meeting of the AMJV Technical Committee, comprised of federal, state, NGO, and university partners to discuss science needs, barriers, and other technical issues surrounding bird conservation in the Appalachians.
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News & Events
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Recovery: Farm Bill Provides Hope for the Cerulean Warbler
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With funding from the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) available from the Farm Bill’s Regional Conservation Partnership Program the Appalachian Mountains Joint Venture (a partnership of state and federal agencies and NGOs including The Nature Conservancy) is helping private land owners restore cerulean habitat.
Check out the original article at the Nature Conservancy's Cool Green Science blog:
https://blog.nature.org/science/2017/08/15/recovery-farm-bill-provides-hope-for-the-cerulean-warbler/
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News & Events
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Stoleson, Scott
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Expertise Search
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California Institute of Environmental design & Management (CIEDM)
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A private education, research, consultancy and advocacy center, to promote sustainable resilient design and development.
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LP Members
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Organizations Search
