B.9.4. INCORPORATING CLIMATE CHANGE INFORMATION 
Projected effects of climate changes can be incorporated into Iowa’s Management Plan’s 
strategies and actions—monitoring and prevention strategies in particular. Including these 
considerations will ensure that the Plan and its associated AIS management actions are effective 
and efficient in the long term. 
B.9.4.1. Leadership and Coordination 
Strategic Action 1 A3 calls for developing regional partnerships to evaluate regional AIS 
threats and to coordinate management efforts. Iowa could use this opportunity to work with 
other states to determine what AIS are moving north as a result of climate change and what more 
southern states are doing to prevent, control, and manage these AIS. Strategic Action 5A1 also 
calls for working with partners to share AIS distribution information based on each state’s 
monitoring efforts, which could also help to identify new AIS threats due to climate change. 
B.9.4.2. Prevention 
Strategic Action 2A2 calls for risk assessments to identify water bodies at high-risk of 
AIS invasion. An associated task recommends incorporating data on species’ life histories and 
habitat preferences. Water bodies may become more sensitive to specific AIS as water 
temperatures rise or water levels decrease; thus, it will be important for state staff conducting 
risk assessments to incorporate these considerations into the analysis. Similarly, Strategic 
Action 5A2 and associated Task 5A2b call for designing a monitoring program to help limit the 
spread of AIS. Understanding invasive threats in the context of climate change will ensure that 
monitoring efforts target appropriate AIS and habitats. 
B.9.4.3. Early Detection/Rapid Response, Control, and Management 
Strategic Action 6A3 calls for supporting research that identifies effective management 
actions for successful AIS control and eradication methods in Iowa. Research must examine 
how management actions should be adapted in the context of a changing climate and the 
predicted impacts for the state. Task 6A3a also recommends identifying important data needed 
to control and/or eradicate AIS in Iowa. Climate change data should be integrated as a part of 
this research because climate change can impact the success of control and eradication methods. 
B.9.4.4. Research 
See Section 9.4.3. 
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