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EPA explores land protection, climate change overlap
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12/30/09 01:59 PM ET
EPA is weighing how land protection initiatives should be modified to account for climate change.
In a notice slated for publication in Thursday’s Federal Register, the agency will seek input on a draft assessment of the matter.
“Because land protection decisions are long-term, hard to reverse, and resource intensive, these decisions are important to consider in the context of climate change. Climate change may directly affect the services intended for protection and parcel selection can exacerbate or ameliorate certain impacts,” EPA’s notice states.
“Therefore, when considering long-term acquisition strategies, land protection programs should be considering both the mitigation potential of land through carbon sequestration and the adaptation potential of the land for preserving wildlife migration routes, protecting water resources, and buffering infrastructure and development from storm events,” it adds.
In a notice slated for publication in Thursday’s Federal Register, the agency will seek input on a draft assessment of the matter.
“Because land protection decisions are long-term, hard to reverse, and resource intensive, these decisions are important to consider in the context of climate change. Climate change may directly affect the services intended for protection and parcel selection can exacerbate or ameliorate certain impacts,” EPA’s notice states.
“Therefore, when considering long-term acquisition strategies, land protection programs should be considering both the mitigation potential of land through carbon sequestration and the adaptation potential of the land for preserving wildlife migration routes, protecting water resources, and buffering infrastructure and development from storm events,” it adds.
