kenlund's photostream (CC)

National Parks in the U.S. are in desperate need of a comprehensive climate change plan, according to a report released this week that warns of “a potentially catastrophic loss of animal and plant life” if action is not taken.  The key to establishing critical conservation measures seems to rest in coordinating the plans of federal, state, and local agencies as well as tribes and private landowners, which will surely be a challenging task.  The groups will have to find a way to cooperate if we are to protect these beautiful lands and the diversity of wildlife they contain.  President Obama’s nominee for Park Service director, Jon Jarvis recently explained the importance of these efforts:

National park units can serve as the proverbial canary in the coal mine, a place where we can monitor and document ecosystem change without many of the stressors that are found on other public lands.

The strategies to help protect the parks from the effects of a changing climate include establishing continuous wildlife corridors so that animals, including the lynx, bighorn sheep and caribou,  can move to into cooler areas, as well as eliminating the threat of pollution from neighboring industries.  Improving plans to handle droughts, wildfires and other climate disasters will also be important, in addition to preparing for the threat of invasive species, like the bark beetle, that thrive in warmer conditions.  Of course, preparation and conservation measures are only part of the equation, as drastic reduction of greenhouse gas emissions will be needed to address the threat of climate change.