Southwest Colorado Social-Ecological Climate Resilience

Southwestern Colorado is already experiencing the effects of climate change in the form of larger and more severe wildfires, prolonged drought, and earlier snowmelt. Climate scientists expect the region to experience more summer heat waves, longer-lasting and more frequent droughts, and decreased river flow in the future. These changes will ultimately impact local communities and challenge natural resource managers in allocating water under unpredictable drought conditions, managing forests in the face of changing fire regimes, and conserving threatened species under shifting ecological conditions, all while continuing to support the needs of human communities. An interdisciplinary team consisting of social, ecological and climate scientists collaborated with local stakeholders to develop and apply an innovative climate planning framework in the Upper Gunnison River basin and in the San Juan mountains.