July 21, 2025
Shifting climate patterns are making it more complicated to manage natural areas in the Midwest. Natural resource managers, including those managing wildlife refuges, have to make difficult decisions in order to minimize negative effects on habitats, infrastructure, and wildlife populations.
To facilitate more successful adaptation outcomes, a collaborative team of researchers supported by the Midwest Climate Adaptation Science Center set out to develop a new planning tool that combines three ideas:
- The Resist–Accept–Direct (RAD) framework: Should we try to resist changes to ecosystems, accept them, or direct them toward a new and better state?
- Climate scenario planning: What different kinds of climate scenarios might occur in the future?
- Decision analysis: How do we weigh options and make the best choices when outcomes are uncertain?
The research team tested and refined the tool through a series of in-person workshops hosted at national wildlife refuges in Illinois, Ohio, and Minnesota. The resulting product is Managing for Tomorrow—A Climate Adaptation Decision Framework, a practical guide that helps users set goals, explore different management actions, and evaluate potential outcomes of different actions under future climate conditions. The framework is designed to be practical and flexible – and it’s paired with a practical workbook to support the application of each step.
Explore Managing for Tomorrow—A Climate Adaptation Decision Framework