Incorporating climate adaptation strategies into a restoration project further protects a restored area from future changes due to climate change. Climate-ready planning incorporates anticipatory strategies that promote ecosystem resilience in order to restore habitats that will be compromised by the expected effects of climate change – such as increased flooding, lower lake levels or temperature changes. These measures are intended to reduce the vulnerability of natural and human systems against actual or expected climate change effects. The Great Lakes are a vulnerable system that may be drastically affected by climate change, and so climate readiness is an important part of restoration projects in the region.

Federal agencies are seriously examining how climate adaptation can be incorporated into restoration work. We expect this to become a critical piece of successful grant proposals, and Healing Our Waters grants can help you to incorporate climate readiness into your project. For more information, see our available factsheets on climate readiness and climate-ready planning, arrange a one-on-one consultation, or explore the federal resources on climate adaptation:

• What is Climate Readiness?
• Making Our Restoration Practices Climate-Ready
• A list of Climate-Smart Terms
• NOAA’s Climate portal
• The Climate Adaptation Knowledge Exchange

To arrange a one-on-one consultation, contact Melinda Koslow, Regional Campaign Manager for Climate Change Adaptation at the National Wildlife Federation

• koslowm@nwf.org
• (734) 887-7129