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  • Mallard flush at the Funk Lagoon Waterfowl Production Area, Nebraska. Photo: Brandon Jones/U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, CC BY 2.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/, via Flickr

    • Ecosystems

    Human well-being is dependent on natural and managed ecosystems, which provide crucial functions and resources for nearly everything we eat, make, and do. Clean water and air, soils and nutrients for food production, timber for construction, and other supplies and services we depend on all come from nature.

    Read Full Summary
    Read more in the Fifth National Climate Assessment
    Key Messages
    • Climate change is driving rapid ecosystem transformations.
    • Species changes and biodiversity loss are accelerating.
    • Impacts to ecosystem services create risks and opportunities.

    Adapted from the Ecosystems chapter of the Fifth National Climate Assessment.

  • Wildflowers of Bremner, Alaska. By Jacob W. Frank, National Park Service, Alaska Region. CC BY 2.0, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/, via Flickr.

    • Looking for previous narratives?

    Previous Ecosystems Content

    Featured resources for building ecosystem resilience

    Climate Adaptation Knowledge Exchange (CAKE)
    Visualizing Ecosystem Land Management Assessments (VELMA) Model
    Ecosystem-Based Management (EBM) Tools Network

  • Caroline Dougherty. Used with permission.

    • Hot-Cold Map Provides Blueprint for Protecting Ecosystems

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  • Photo attributed to lessandro Cai (OliverZena). This work has been released into the public domain by its author. No endorsement by licensor implied.

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