Virginia Board of Game and Inland Fisheries Endorses New Climate Change Strategy Document

Virginia’s Wildlife Action Plan identifies more than 900 species that are being impacted by the loss or degradation of their habitats. Many of these species could become extinct or extirpated from the Commonwealth if steps are not taken to reverse these trends. In coming decades, climate change will exacerbate and intensify many of the existing threats and will likely result in new sets of impacts and stressors. Virginia’s Strategy for Safeguarding Virginia’s Species of Greatest Conservation Need from the Effects of Climate Change was created to provide initial guidance on actions Virginia’s conservation community can implement immediately to enhance the conservation of wildlife and habitats in the face of climate change while more comprehensive adaptation strategies are developed. Conservation strategies include specific actions for conserving species and habitats, developing new data and climate modeling resources, and implementing new outreach efforts related to climate change. The document was prepared by the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fish, National Wildlife Federation, and Virginia Conservation Network with funding provided by Wildlife Conservation Society’s Wildlife Action Opportunities Fund and USFWS’s State Wildlife Grants Program.

For more information please contact Chris Burkett: Chris.Burkett@dgif.virginia.gov