C.8.4. INCORPORATING CLIMATE CHANGE INFORMATION 
Climate change will affect the Western 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 Western region. 
C.8.4.1. Leadership and Coordination 
Issue 7 of the Action Plan proposes enhancing the regional organizational structure for 
addressing ANS, and Issue 8 proposes coordination of ANS lists among states and the 
clarification of definitions for regulation and policy. States in the region could incorporate 
climate change information into this structure by planning communication strategies and sharing 
information on the regional effects of climate change, as well as changes in habitats and species 
ranges. 
C.8.4.2. Prevention 
The Action Plan encourages the development of screening and risk assessment tools for 
ANS identification and management (Issue 4). This includes the identification of groups of 
species and ecosystems where the greatest threat exists and the prioritization of these risks. Risk 
assessment of ANS could also account for the projected effects of climate change. Changing 
conditions may alter some habitats in favor of some ANS, thereby facilitating establishment. 
C.8.4.3. Early Detection and Rapid Response, Control, and Management 
Issue 6 of the Action Plan outlines the development of a regional rapid response strategy. 
This section calls for more communication and cooperation among states and awareness of what 
is happening in other states, the region, and the nation. Attention to how ecosystems may be 
affected by climate change and how ANS are responding to changing conditions in other states 
and regions can help western states be better prepared to address these effects. 
C.8.4.4. Research 
The Action Plan identifies the development of risk assessment and screening tools as a 
need in Issue 4 and lists research as one of the specific actions. Risk assessments and screening 
tools should incorporate climate change effects in order to provide more accurate analyses of 
ANS threats. 
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