Developing a spatially-explicit climate adaptation framework for estuarine ecosystems of the San Francisco Bay: Climate Adaptation for Decision Support

Final Report to the California Landscape Conservation Cooperative (funding agency for CADS Phase 1), and interim report to the US Fish & Wildlife Service National Wildlife Refuge System Inventory and Monitoring Initiative.

This report provides recommended resource allocations for conserving four subregions of San Francisco (SF) Bay, including North Bay, Suisun, Central Bay and South Bay. These recommendations are based on quantitative, subregional decision tools that were developed in collaboration with stakeholders working in each subregion. The authors of this report would like to thank all the participants, including the leadership team and other stakeholders that included natural resource managers and planners working in SF Bay. Without this dedicated set of individuals, this project would not have been possible and the products of the project are intended for the stakeholders of SF Bay.

The scope of recommended resource allocations are within the Baylands that surround and include the SF Bay Estuary. The project defines four estuarine ecosystems from low to higher elevation: subtidal and intertidal mudflats, tidal marsh, managed wetlands, and upland transition zone. We also define two upland ecosystems within the Baylands where actions can be taken for conserving the Estuary: migration space (adjacent uplands) and watersheds feeding the Estuary.

The report is primarily written for stakeholders and scientists working toward conservation of the SF Bay Estuary. It may also be informative for those working on multi-scale conservation efforts in other geographic regions, or for those who are interested in broad-extent conservation planning and decision analysis.