The Role Of The Laguna In Climate Change Adaptation
Through coordination of a recent conference and the resulting North Bay Climate Adaptation Initiative the Foundation is taking a leadership role in bringing together stakeholders, governmental agencies, foundations and environmental organizations in Sonoma County in a coordinated effort to minimize negative impacts on our natural resources from climate change, and to devise best land management approaches for both natural and agricultural systems.
Conserving and restoring the Laguna’s biodiversity and ecosystem services (e.g. flood protection) will help increase the resilience of its habitats to the pressures associated with degraded conditions (e.g. pollution, invasive species) and climate associated shifts (e.g. more severe storms, disruption of species interactions such as plant pollination).
Protecting and restoring Laguna watershed creeks and streams will increase aquatic and riparian (stream-side) habitat extent, and so help protect biodiversity by providing improved habitat quality and connectivity for hundreds of species of birds, mammals, insects, and plants. An additional benefit of riparian reforestation is the increased absorption of carbon dioxide via tree growth, providing long-term carbon storage and bringing down greenhouse gas levels in the atmosphere.