Wildland fire hazards increase, affecting LLMM communities and isolated property owners. include Peter: Fire resets the Fire-related landcover and soil changes vegetation population shifts, permafrost successional trajectories HH thawing, soil decomposition, and surface toward graminoid- subsidence. dominated systems. Changes to the terrestrial and aquatic species compositions in parks and refuges occur as ranges shift, contract, or expand. Rare species MHH and/or communities may become further at risk, and additional species could become rare. Some early-succession species will benefit from changes. Parks and refuges may not be able to meet their mandate of protecting current species within their boundaries, or in the case of some refuges, the species for whose habitat protection they were MHH designed. While some wildlife may be able to move northward or to higher elevations to escape – some effects of climate change, federal boundaries are static. General Wildlife Changes in terrestrial and marine wildlife distributions affect visitor experiences and LHH subsistence throughout the region. An analysis of Some species suffer severe losses. potential climate change impacts on mammalian species in U.S. national parks indicates that on average about 8% of current mammalian species HHH diversity may be lost. The greatest losses across all parks occurred in rodent species (44%), bats (22%), and carnivores (19%). Predator-prey relationships may change in MH unexpected ways. – Migratory routes and destinations will change Peter: especially General for some species (e.g., wetlands, open tundra, snow HHH Wildlife loons patches). Arctic and alpine breeding birds’ breeding habitats will be reduced or eliminated as trees and Peter: yellow-billed loons shrubs encroach on areas currently occupied by HHH and montane nesting Biosphere tundra. 72% of Arctic and alpine birds are – shorebirds main issues. considered moderately or highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. Birds Wildlife as Boreal forest birds expand into the arctic climate changes, causing new avian communities MMH to develop.
Wildland fire hazards increase, affecting communities and isolated property owners. LLMM Fire-related landcover and soil changes include vegetation population shifts, permafrost thawing, soil decomposition, and surface subsidence. HH Peter: Fire resets the successional trajectories toward graminoid- dominated systems. Wildlife – General Changes to the terrestrial and aquatic species compositions in parks and refuges occur as ranges shift, contract, or expand. Rare species and/or communities may become further at risk, and additional species could become rare. Some early-succession species will benefit from changes. MHH Parks and refuges may not be able to meet their mandate of protecting current species within their boundaries, or in the case of some refuges, the species for whose habitat protection they were designed. While some wildlife may be able to move northward or to higher elevations to escape some effects of climate change, federal boundaries are static. MHH Changes in terrestrial and marine wildlife distributions affect visitor experiences and subsistence throughout the region. LHH Some species suffer severe losses. An analysis of potential climate change impacts on mammalian species in U.S. national parks indicates that on average about 8% of current mammalian species diversity may be lost. The greatest losses across all parks occurred in rodent species (44%), bats (22%), and carnivores (19%). HHH Biosphere Wildlife – General Predator-prey relationships may change in unexpected ways. MH Migratory routes and destinations will change for some species (e.g., wetlands, open tundra, snow patches). HHH Peter: especially loons Wildlife – Birds Arctic and alpine breeding birds’ breeding habitats will be reduced or eliminated as trees and shrubs encroach on areas currently occupied by tundra. 72% of Arctic and alpine birds are considered moderately or highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. HHH Peter: yellow-billed loons and montane nesting shorebirds main issues. Boreal forest birds expand into the arctic as climate changes, causing new avian communities to develop. MMH
CCSP%20Report%20-%20Western%20Arctic%20-%2004-29.docx