Actions for Conservation Groups
Educate people about issues and mitigation strategies: Many people associate climate change with increased storms and sea level rise, not the types of impacts that are taking place right now in the Nashua River watershed. Educating the public about the changes that are taking place and the mitigation strategies that are available is therefore a critical, immediate need.
Determine Opportunities to create Ecological Reserves and Connections: Develop comprehensive plans to protect important ecological areas within the watershed. Ecosystems are complex and vulnerable to damage by human activity and climate change. Connect and expand large conservation areas in order to allow plant and animal communities to migrate or adapt. Connections among protected areas expand their significance.
Protect and Manage Forests for habitat and sequestration: Promote forests that have a diversity of tree species, ample tree regeneration of future-adapted species, vigorous trees of various sizes and ages, a variety of tree arrangements, and an appropriate amount of deadwood to give forests a complex structure and helps them withstand and recover from stressors. These practices also improve soil health and increase soil carbon sequestration. When forests need to be harvested, careful adherence to excellent forestry practices, such as those utilizing alternative, less intensive forest management systems and those utilizing Continuous Cover Forestry (CCF) can reduce the loss of carbon and maintain ecologically healthy forests.
Coordinate Land Protection and Management with conservation groups and towns: Municipalities and conservation groups can work across town boundaries on ecological strategies and habitat protection. By sharing plans, larger and more effective protected areas can be created.
Prepare Baseline Documentation of Ecologic Resources: Develop baseline documentation of existing conditions in order to understand and plan for the changes that are taking place within our watershed.
Download NRWA's Climate Impact Action List for Conservation Groups (PDF).
