Climate project screening tool: an aid for climate change adaptation

Abstract

To address the impacts of climate change, land managers need techniques for incorporating adaptation into ongoing or impending projects. We present a new tool, the Climate Project Screening Tool (CPST), for integrating climate change considerations into project planning as well as for developing concrete adaptation options for land managers. We designed CPST as part of the Westwide Climate Initiative project, which seeks to develop adaptation options for addressing climate change through science/management partnerships. The CPST lists projected climate trends for the target region and questions to be considered when designing projects in different resource areas. The objective is to explore options for ameliorating the effects of climate on resource management projects. To pilot the CPST, we interviewed 13 staff members and line officers of the U.S. Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management in the Sierra Nevada region of California. We found that a major value of the CPST was the process-with the activity of conducting the questionnaire being as important as the answers received from the staff. The CPST also serves as a priority-setting tool, allowing managers to consider effects of different actions. Finally, the CPST helps to reduce uncertainty by identifying the range of impacts that both climatic changes and management actions may have on resources. The CPST could also be modified to devise mitigation options for resource managers.

Northeast and Northern Forests Regional Climate Hub Assessment of Climate Change Vulnerability and Adaptation and Mitigation Strategies

“…A great deal of work has occurred to provide conceptual frameworks (e.g., (Millar et al, 2007;Peterson et al, 2011)), compile adaptation strategies (e.g., (Heinz, 2008;Heller & Zavaleta, 2009;Ogden & Innes, 2008)), and provide tools to support management decision making (e.g., (Cross et al, 2012;Morelli et al, 2012;Stein et al, 2014;Swanston & Janowiak, 2012)). The following principles can serve as a starting point for this perspective (Joyce et al, 2008;Millar et al, 2007;Swanston & Janowiak, 2012; Wisconsin Initiative on Climate Change Impacts, 2011):…”

Developing and Implementing Climate Change Adaptation Options in Forest Ecosystems: A Case Study in Southwestern Oregon, USA

“…But the learning process was not unidirectional; in addition to managers learning about climate science and potential impacts, scientists learned about local effects, management context and constraints, and application of science to a specific project, thereby propagating adaptation through a co-production of knowledge [105]. The Climate Project Screening Tool [42] was effective in facilitating the shared learning process. Finally, by engaging local managers throughout the project, we increased ownership of the process and outcomes, as well as the applicability of the adaptation options to on-the-ground actions.…”

“…Team members from the project team were present to answer questions and provide information about the project and project area. We used a modified version of the Climate Project Screening Tool [42], originally developed by Forest Service staff for a similar purpose, to aid participants in evaluating project activity outcomes under a changing climate. Each small (3-10 person) working group answered the following questions about project goals and proposed activities and reported on the outcomes (see Section 3):…”

“…We used a modified version of the Climate Project Screening Tool [42], originally developed by Forest…”

The North Cascadia Adaptation Partnership: A Science-Management Collaboration for Responding to Climate Change

“…Agency strategies focus on increasing climate change awareness, assessing the vulnerability of natural, social, and cultural systems, and developing adaptation strategies to reduce vulnerabilities and increase resilience. Several tools and process have been developed to achieve these goals [3][4][5], and one that has been shown to be successful is science-management partnerships [6,7]. Although effective collaboration across jurisdictional boundaries has been a significant challenge for federal agencies, science-management partnerships have been valuable in achieving cross-boundary coordination in climate change adaptation.…”