C.2.4. INCORPORATING CLIMATE CHANGE INFORMATION 
Climate change will affect the Great Lakes region and its water resources throughout the 
next decades. The ANS Action Plan should incorporate climate change effects so that 
management activities can better respond to changing conditions and remain effective over time. 
Several of the Strategic Actions listed in the Action Plan could incorporate climate change 
considerations to adapt management activities in the Great Lakes region. 
C.2.4.1. Leadership and Coordination 
Collaboration objectives call for inter-jurisdictional cooperation on prevention and 
control measures, regulation, and education efforts. Coordination on the regional level offers the 
opportunity for states to share information on climate-related ANS issues, including expanding 
ANS ranges, changing conditions, and adapting management to reflect changing conditions. 
These measures will not only help states collaboratively identify species of concern, but 
incorporation of these measures also better prevents the establishment and spread of ANS. 
C.2.4.2. Prevention 
Management objectives call for the assessment and characterization of pathways for ANS 
and the identification of high risk ANS. Efforts to assess risk and develop species lists should 
account for the effect of climate change on ecosystem vulnerability to ANS invasion and 
expanding species ranges and vectors. 
C.2.4.3. Early Detection and Rapid Response, Control, and Management 
Several Strategic actions address ANS control. Climate change considerations should be 
included in developing control strategies for the Great Lakes Region that remain effective over 
time. 
C.2.4.4. Research 
Research objectives also call for the development of management strategies that address 
ANS threats. However, if ecosystem conditions change over time, management practices may 
lose effectiveness. Research should address changing conditions in order to better inform 
management practices to ensure that they remain robust in the context of a changing climate. 
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