The Metrowest Conservation Alliance (MCA) believes that adapting to climate change is a challenge that must be addressed through a variety of actions. Land protection is one of the many strategies that can be employed. Land protection addresses climate change through bolstering ecosystem services, mitigating the impacts of extreme weather, and increasing carbon sequestration.
The key program addressing the effects of climate in Massachusetts is the state’s Municipality Vulnerability Preparedness (MVP) program. The MVP program is a grant program that is designed to support the municipalities of Massachusetts in building resilience in a changing climate. The program has two-parts: First, a community receives a planning grant to create an MVP plan. Then, once the community has a MVP plan, it is eligible for action grants to carry out the goals and implement specific projects outlined in the plan.
Climate Change Resources
For up-to-date climate information and science related to forestry, MVP, change in precipitation, etc. check out the Massachusetts Clearing House
From the MassWildlife Climate Action Tool, select your topic of interest to learn how climate change is affecting these aspects of your community:
- Fish & Wildlife
- Forest Resources
- Roads & Infrastructure
- Wetland & Aquatic Resources
Use the tool to explore and plan climate change adaptation strategies, including:
- Improving Policy
- Laws & Regulations
- Land Use Planning
- Land Management
- Land Protection
Resources for land protection
- New England Landscape Futures Explorer- see what your town could look like in 50 years with this nifty map that lets you apply different development pressures and other factors
- MassWildlife's Adaptation Strategies and Actions
- Protect Land- learn ways to develop a strategic approach to protecting land in your area
- Consider climate change impacts in Conservation Restrictions- how to make your CR relevant as climate changes the conditions of the land
- Mass Audubon’s MAPPR tool- a user-friendly mapping tool to rapidly identify specific parcels that, if protected, could contribute the most to achieving land protection goals
Resources for land management
- Climate Change Response Framework
- Adaptation Workbook: a tool for forest management and conservation- created by the Climate Change Response Framework to help land managers incorporate climate change into management plans. See SVT's project here.
- USDA US Forest Service's
- Forest Adaptation Resources: Climate Change Tools and Approaches for Land Managers: provides a collection of resources designed to help forest managers incorporate climate change considerations into management and devise adaptation tactics
- Climate Change Atlas: documents the current and possible future distribution of 134 tree species and 147 bird species in the Eastern United States and gives detailed information on environmental characteristics defining these distributions