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San Diego Ecosystem Assessment Utilized for City of Carlsbad Management Plan

The City of Carlsbad recently integrated information from the San Diego County Ecosystems Assessment, a collaborative report led by the Climate Science Alliance, into their Management Plan for vernal pools. Learn more on today’s blog!


Photo of a vernal pool in San Diego County taken by Joanna Gilkeson/USFWS.


Earlier this year, the City of Carlsbad integrated information on the ecological impacts of climate change from the San Diego County Ecosystems Assessment, a technical report led by the Climate Science Alliance. Information from the assessment was integrated into the Poinsettia Station Vernal Pool Preserve Management Plan. This plan will be used to guide long-term management of this vernal pool preserve.


“[This work] is an excellent example of climate smart conservation planning and highlights the value of having downscaled modeling and localized assessment.”

- Mike Grim, Senior Program Manager/CAP Administrator at City of Carlsbad


Along with the long-term management of the Poinsettia Station Vernal Pool Preserve, the City of Carlsbad conserves, protects, and manages five vernal pool species: San Diego buttoncelery (Eryngium aristulatum var. parishii), Spreading navarretia (Navarretia fossalis), California Orcutt grass (Orcuttia californica), Riverside fairy shrimp (Steptocephalus wootoni), San Diego fairy shrimp (Branchinecta sandiegoensis).


Learn more about the Poinsettia Station Vernal Pool Reserve in the City of Carlsbad’s Habitat Management Plan.


Photo of spreading Navarretia taken by Joanna Gilkeson/USFWS.


Photo of presumed San Diego fairy shrimp taken by Joanna Gilkeson/USFWS.

 

The San Diego County Ecosystems: The Ecological Impacts of Climate Change on a Biodiversity Hotspot, led by the Climate Science Alliance, is a technical report for California’s Fourth Climate Change Assessment that provides an overview of the state of the science for climate change impacts to ecosystems and species in the region with specific guidance for managers. A team of ecologists and climatologists conducted a review of the most current, regionally specific climate information and paired that with the current research on local species and habitats of the South Coast that are at risk due to climate variability and other stressors.


Learn more about the San Diego Ecosystems Assessment here:

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