Identifying stakeholder-relevant climate change impacts: A case study in the Yakima River Basin, Washington, USA

• Published in: Climatic change Vol. 124; no. 1-2; pp. 371 - 384
• Main Authors: Jenni, K, Graves, D, Hardiman, J, Hatten, J, Mastin, M, Mesa, M, Montag, J, Nieman, T, Voss, F, Maule, A
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Dordrecht Springer-Verlag 01.05.2014; Springer Netherlands; Springer Nature B.V
• Subjects: Atmospheric Sciences; Bioenergetics; Case studies; Climate; Climate change; Climate change models; Climate change research; Climate Change/Climate Change Impacts; Climatic data; Decision making; Earth and Environmental Science; Earth Sciences; economics; energy metabolism; Environmental impact; Environmental quality; Freshwater; Geology; Greenhouse effect; Habitats; Impact analysis; Management decisions; managers; Natural resource management; Recognition; research planning; resource management; River basins; Rivers; Salmonidae; Scientists; Stakeholders; Task forces; Uncertainty; Water temperature; watersheds; Workshops; Washington; Yakima River; United States > US; Washington (state); Salmon Population; Influence Diagram; Salmonid Population; Climate Change Impact; Columbia River Basin
• ISSN: 0165-0009; 1573-1480
• DOI: 10.1007/s10584-013-0806-4

Designing climate-related research so that study results will be useful to natural resource managers is a unique challenge. While decision makers increasingly recognize the need to consider climate change in their resource management plans, and climate scientists recognize the importance of providing locally-relevant climate data and projections, there often remains a gap between management needs and the information that is available or is being collected. We used decision analysis concepts to bring decision-maker and stakeholder perspectives into the applied research planning process. In 2009 we initiated a series of studies on the impacts of climate change in the Yakima River Basin (YRB) with a four-day stakeholder workshop, bringing together managers, stakeholders, and scientists to develop an integrated conceptual model of climate change and climate change impacts in the YRB. The conceptual model development highlighted areas of uncertainty that limit the understanding of the potential impacts of climate change and decision alternatives by those who will be most directly affected by those changes, and pointed to areas where additional study and engagement of stakeholders would be beneficial. The workshop and resulting conceptual model highlighted the importance of numerous different outcomes to stakeholders in the basin, including social and economic outcomes that go beyond the physical and biological outcomes typically reported in climate impacts studies. Subsequent studies addressed several of those areas of uncertainty, including changes in water temperatures, habitat quality, and bioenergetics of salmonid populations.