Chicago Wilderness Releases "Climate Action Plan for Nature"

Although numerous studies show the worldwide impact of climate change, its effect on the biodiversity of specific regions is yet unknown. That's why this summer the Chicago Wilderness alliance, of which Openlands is a founding member, released the Climate Action Plan for Nature, the first to address issues of biodiversity conservation and climate change in the greater Chicago region.

(Click here to download the executive summary of the Chicago Wilderness Climate Action Plan for Nature.)

The plan was developed with the leadership of The Nature Conservancy in Illinois and a number of partners within the alliance, identifying actions related to mitigation, adaptation, and increased public awareness as key strategies in fighting climate change and addresses the significant role of—and threats to—natural area conservation in the face of this phenomenon.

To the future impacts of climate change, the plan’s three main strategies are to:

• Advance climate research and recognition of the importance of land conservation in fighting climate change;
• Promote conservation practices that help local nature adapt to anticipated climate change impacts; and
• Marshal the collective expertise of Chicago Wilderness members to create local solutions that have global impact.

"The Climate Action Plan for Nature uses a regional approach that integrates people and nature,” says Melinda Pruett-Jones, Executive Director of Chicago Wilderness. “It enables us to think about how we care for nature in the face of climate change which, in turn, will enable nature to continue to care for us.”