SECAS Third Thursday Web Forum January 16th 2025
When |
Jan 16, 2025
from 10:00 AM US/Eastern to 11:00 AM US/Eastern |
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Attendees |
Analie Barnett Mary Khoury |
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The January 16th Third Thursday Web Forum for the Southeast Conservation Adaptation Strategy (SECAS) will feature "Mapping Freshwater Resilience in the Conterminous U.S." with Analie Barnett, Landscape Ecologist with The Nature Conservancy's Center for Resilient Conservation Science.
Freshwater resilience is the ability of a stream network or other aquatic setting to maintain biologic diversity even as the system changes in composition and structure in response to changes in climate. Over the last century, the ecological integrity of most streams and lakes has declined, and now climate change is altering historic precipitation patterns and further impacting freshwater environments. In response, TNC’s Center for Resilient Conservation Science (CRCS) engaged 60 colleagues over three years to assess river networks in the conterminous U.S. for freshwater resilience.
As part of the assessment and to help those working to protect or restore freshwater habitats, CRCS developed two key products. The first, freshwater resilience, is a map and spatial database that scores every small watershed in the conterminous U.S. for climate resilience and provides users with the component values that went into calculating resilience. Second, is the Freshwater Resilient and Connected Network (FRCN), which identifies a representative network of rivers, streams, and wetlands that, if conserved, could potentially sustain the freshwater diversity of the conterminous U.S. under a changing climate. The maps and component data for both resources can be accessed through the Resilient River Explorer online tool.
In the webinar, CRCS staff will discuss the impetus for the freshwater resilience analysis, how the two key products were developed, and example applications, including integration with TNC’s terrestrial resilience work. The presentation will use slides and a demonstration of the Resilient River Explorer to convey important concepts and results.