Golden Gate Biosphere Region Climate Adaptation Project
Overview
EcoAdapt has partnered with the Golden Gate Biosphere Network (GGBN) to conduct vulnerability assessments and develop climate-informed adaptation strategies for focal ecosystems and species in the Golden Gate Biosphere (GGB) region, which encompasses the Bay Area of California. This effort will integrate existing, best available science with an expert elicitation process, and will be used to inform regional planning processes and land management practices.Project timeline: Summer 2022 – Summer 2024
Objectives
The overarching goal of this project is to integrate existing, best available science with an expert elicitation process to improve understanding of whether and how important natural resources in the Golden Gate Biosphere region may be vulnerable to changing climate conditions and what management actions can be implemented to reduce vulnerabilities and/or increase resilience of those resources. Project objectives include:
- Introduce GGBN members and stakeholders to climate vulnerability and adaptation principles, tools, and strategies relevant to the GGB region;
- In partnership with Pepperwood Preserve, use downscaled climate data derived from the Terrestrial Biodiversity and Climate Change Collaborative (TBC3) knowledge base to create customized maps of projected changes in climate variables and their potential impacts on vegetation distribution for the project area, which can be used to inform workshops and serve as useful reference for organizations;
- Generate vulnerability assessment summaries and vulnerability-adaptation briefs for habitats and species of management interest within the project area, as well as a project synthesis report; and
- Help identify practical applications and next steps for GGBN members and stakeholders to incorporate information into their project work and organizations.
Workshops & Events
This project involves a series of two workshops held with members of the Golden Gate Biosphere Network (GGBN):
- Vulnerability Assessment: A two-day virtual workshop focused on assessing the climate change vulnerability of 21 stakeholder-identified focal ecosystems and species within the Golden Gate Biosphere. December 2022
- Adaptation Planning: A two-day in-person workshop focused on developing climate-informed adaptation strategies and actions for focal ecosystems and species, while also building the capacity of GGBN members to understand and incorporate information about expected climate impacts and vulnerability into conservation planning and management. December 2023
Products
- Databasin gallery for the Golden Gate Biosphere Climate Adaptation Project (spatial modeling results, completed in partnership with Pepperwood Preserve and the Conservation Biology Institute)
- Think Biosphere: A Climate-Wise Wildlife Corridor Planning Toolkit for the Golden Gate Biosphere (report prepared by Marina Stern, University of California Berkeley, as part of her thesis project; contact her directly at marina_stern@berkeley.edu to obtain a copy of her full thesis or spatial datasets)