Adapt

How Does Climate Change Affect Land Trusts?

As land trusts succeed in protecting more lands, the importance of managing the conservation values on those lands in perpetuity will grow. Efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change will have profound implications for these stewardship efforts.

How Are Land Trusts Responding? 

We cannot prevent climate change from impacting our protected lands. But, by adapting our management practices, land trusts can promote climate change resilience in priority species, habitats and resources. Learn more about how land trusts are addressing changes to habitats and wildlife as well as supporting shifts in human activities and adapting land trust practices to promote climate change resilience.

• managing agricultural lands;
• managing coastal lands;
• managing deserts, grasslands and shrublands;
• managing forest lands; and
• managing mountainous habitats.

While approaches may vary, common elements of successful management efforts include conducting vulnerability assessments and engaging in strategic conservation planning and adaptive management to reduce risks build resilience of ecosystems and the communities that depend upon them. By incorporating data that reflects current and future climate trends into ongoing conservation efforts, land trusts are building adaptation into long-term stewardship objectives.