Massachusetts Fish and Wildlife Climate Action Tool

The Massachusetts Wildlife Climate Action Tool is designed to inform and inspire local action to protect the Commonwealth’s natural resources in a changing climate. This Tool focuses on providing information for a range of local decision-makers, including conservation practitioners, landowners, municipal agencies, and community leaders, seeking to conduct on-the-ground climate change adaptation efforts.

With this tool, users can:

• Access information on climate change impacts and vulnerabilities of fish and wildlife species and associated habitats;
• Explore adaptation strategies and actions to help maintain healthy, resilient natural communities based on location and area of interest; and
• Find additional resources to help guide decision-making and actions.

Initial development of the tool is focused on fish and wildlife species, forests and forestry practices, aquatic and terrestrial connectivity (with a focus on roads and culverts), land protection, and conservation planning. 

Although this tool was designed for decision-making in the state of Massachusetts, it provides broadly relevant climate and adaptation information, and can serve as a model for related efforts across the entire Northeast region.

This tool has been developed by the Massachusetts Climate Adaptation Partnership -- a diverse team of experts from the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries & Wildlife, the University of Massachusetts-Amherst, the Department of Interior’s Northeast Climate Science Center, and the USGS Massachusetts Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit.

• Northeast Climate Adaptation Science Center Webinar: "Massachusetts Wildlife Climate Action Tool" presented December 2, 2015 by Scott Jackson, UMass Amherst; John O'Leary, Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife; and Michelle Staudinger, NE CASC.