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ARS Home » Plains Area » Las Cruces, New Mexico » Range Management Research » Research » Publications at this Location » Publication #318909
Title: Southwest regional climate hub and California subsidiary hub assessment of climate change vulnerability and adaptation and mitigation strategies

Author
item Elias, Emile
item STEEL, CAITI - New Mexico State University
item Havstad, Kris
item Steenwerth, Kerri
item CHAMBERS, JEANNE - Us Forest Service (FS)
item Deswood, Helena
item Rango, Albert
item KERR, AMBER - University Of California
item SCHWARTZ, MARK - University Of California
item STINE, PETER - Forest Service (FS)
item STEELE, RACHEL - Office Of The Chief Economist

Submitted to: Government Publication/Report
Publication Type: Government Publication
Publication Acceptance Date: 7/10/2015
Publication Date: 8/15/2015
Citation: Elias, E.H., Steel, C., Havstad, K.M., Steenwerth, K.L., Chambers, J., Deswood, H., Rango, A., Kerr, A., Schwartz, M., Stine, P., Steele, R. 2015. Southwest regional climate hub and California subsidiary hub assessment of climate change vulnerability and adaptation and mitigation strategies. United States Department of Agriculture, 76 pp.

Interpretive Summary:

Technical Abstract: This report describes the potential vulnerability of specialty crops, field crops, forests, and animal agriculture to climate-driven environmental changes. Here, vulnerability is defined as a function of exposure to climate change effects, sensitivity to these effects, and adaptive capacity. The exposure of specific sectors of the agricultural and forestry industries varies across the region because the Southwest is climatically and topographically diverse. There is also variability in the sensitivity of different systems to the impacts of climate change. Most significantly, there is potential within agricultural and forestry systems to adjust to climate-related impacts either through inherent resilience or through conservative management practices. The purpose of this analysis is to describe regional vulnerabilities to climate change and adaptive actions that can be employed to maintain productivity of working lands in the coming decades.