The adaptation strategies below offer possible ways to address anticipated climate risks to biodiversity.
Adaptation strategies for maintaining biodiversity
- Monitor known locations of invasive plants.
- Adopt an invasive plant management strategy or plan that discusses the tradeoffs associated with managing different native and non-native species.
- Adopt a habitat connectivity plan or specify habitat connectivity goals and initiatives in a related conservation plan.
- Implement zoning ordinances to support habitat connectivity goals.
- Designate vegetation protection areas.
- Offer incentives for meeting the requirements that increase when developers exceed the requirements. Vegetation protection areas should have one or more zones that are fully protected from development.
- Implement an invasive species education program.
- Identify threatened or endangered flora and fauna and the habitat of threatened or endangered species. Local governments can work with their state department of natural resources to identify threatened and endangered species.
- Consider the species and their habitat in all planning and land-use decisions with an emphasis on protection and conservation.
- Adopt policies to protect and maintain significant habitat existence, and develop plans to expand these locations or replicate these habitat types.
- Require new developments to complete a habitat impact analysis and mitigate the habitat that they damage or destroy.
- Limit Planned Unit Developments (PUDs) near sensitive natural areas.
- Restrict septic systems near areas with high biodiversity or critical habitat.
- Use setbacks, an on-site building restriction to set the minimum distance a building may be from a designated area, to protect sensitive habitats.
- Allow for landowners to sell their development rights to the local government to permanently protect the land. This strategy is called a transfer of development rights or purchase of development rights.
- Make a formal commitment to use native plants in new public or publicly-supported landscaping projects and convert existing non-native landscapes on public property.
- Conduct educational outreach on the importance of native landscaping and healthy habitats to support sensitive species.
- Support private-sector or residential habitat restoration projects.
- If no current map exists, creating maps for categories such as total existing vegetated area, primary vegetation types, native plants, degraded vegetation, and degraded aquatic ecosystems. These maps can be created with GIS and then used as a baseline for conservation planning.
Source Documents
These strategies are adapted from existing federal, state, and other resources. Please view these strategies in the context provided by the primary source document:
Disclaimer
The adaptation strategies provided are intended to inform and assist communities in identifying potential alternatives. They are illustrative and are presented to help communities consider possible ways to address current and future climate threats. Read the full disclaimer.
