GLIFWC Vulnerability Assessment

Great Lakes Indian Fish and Wildlife Commission (GLIFWC) Vulnerability Assessment

Description: “The Climate Change Program is conducting a climate change vulnerability assessment within the Ceded Territories. Vulnerability assessments have become an important tool in understanding and adapting to climate change effects. The process evaluates how species, habitats, and ecosystems are vulnerable to climate change by examining their exposure, sensitivity, and ability to adapt to predicted changes. GLIFWC’s vulnerability assessment focuses on 60 Ceded Territory species (often referred to as “beings”) which were selected for study based on information and interviews provided by tribal elders and harvesters. The first stage of the process involved compiling existing data and literature to evaluate the vulnerability of each species using NatureServe’s Climate Change Vulnerability Index tool. After GLIFWC staff completed this initial research, experts from within and outside GLIFWC reviewed each individual assessment. The results are being compiled with Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) gathered through interviews and outreach. The goal is to integrate the TEK and scientific ecological knowledge to create a report integrating these systems of knowledge in a way that is both respectful and complimentary.

Link: https://www.glifwc.org/ClimateChange/VulnerabilityAssessment.html