| Climate Change |
 |
 |
|
Please take 5 minutes to complete our short survey . Your input is important because it allows us to gauge public understanding and concern about climate change. We will use this information to inform land managers, policy makers, and the public at large. Overview While climate change is truly a global phenomenon, scientists recognize that its effects will vary significantly by region, and that its effects will have diverse consequences for different people. This project is an effort to explore what climate change means for public lands in Western North Carolina and for the forests of the Southeastern United States. As a start, this team aims to review climate research being done in the Asheville area and consolidate the information specific to Western North Carolina. We plan to assess climate models and their predictions to see what changes the area might expect, and how land management policy might account for those changes. We will communicate information about how climate change will affect the region to the public so that people will develop an understanding for the issue that feels local and approachable. Ultimately, this will encourage people to act to mitigate climate change, and will help them begin to think about ways to adapt to impending changes in climate. In our capacity as a public interest group, we would like to facilitate the flow of information between climate scientists, the public, and land management agencies (e.g. US Forest Service) in order to support informed decisions about managing ecosystems in the wake of a shifting climate. Questions - How will climate change affect Southeastern public lands? - How will climate change affect wildlife, biodiversity, and the human relationship with public lands? - What role will public lands serve in mitigating climate change? (i.e. ecosystem services, species migration, carbon sinks) - What resources and tools need to be available to land managers? - What are the existing policies, and potential policies that may be constructive, and at what level? Products We plan to publish 2-3 articles in local media outlets in 2008 that will explain climatic projections and present the challenges of climate change for the area's public lands. We will author a report summarizing climatic trends and recommendations for the Forest Service regarding how management plans might adapt to changing forest dynamics. We also plan to prepare locally oriented fact sheets on climate change that will be available to the public, and may disperse these at public presentations or discussions. CONTACT AT This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
|
