Climate Change Vulnerability Assessments

This course is based on January 2011 publication 'Scanning the Conservation Horizon – A Guide to Climate Change Vulnerability Assessment'. The guidance document is a product of an expert workgroup on climate change vulnerability assessment convened by the National Wildlife Federation in collaboration with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. This course is designed to guide conservation and resource management practitioners in two essential elements in the design of climate adaptation plans. Specifically, it will provide guidance in identifying which species or systems are likely to be most strongly affected by projected changes; and understanding why these resources are likely to be vulnerable, including the interaction between climate shifts and existing stressors.

Objectives: 
Participants will understand how to design and interpret natural resource related climate management actions to help build resiliency and adaption. Specifically, participants completing the course will be able to:

• Understand vulnerability assessment in the broader context of adaptation planning and other relevant contexts,
• Evaluate the different factors influencing vulnerability and how they can affect the outcome of vulnerability assessments,
• Identify and critiquing/evaluating the approaches for conducting a vulnerability assessment and choose among the options
• Design a vulnerability assessment applicable to their needs,
• Evaluate and interpret the results of vulnerability assessments and recognize next steps,
• Communicate the purposes, methods, and results of vulnerability assessments to others,
• Develop (elements of) a vulnerability assessment workplan/statement of work, including level of effort.