Welcome to the National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center

The mission of the USGS National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center (NCCWSC) is to serve the scientific needs of managers of fish, wildlife, habitats, and ecosystems as they plan for a changing climate. Department of the Interior Climate Science Centers (CSCs) are managed by NCCWSC and include this mission as a core responsibility, in line with the CSC mission to provide scientific support for climate-adaptation across a full range of natural and cultural resources.

The NCCWSC is a part of the Climate and Land Use Change mission area of the U.S. Geological Survey. DOI Climate Science Centers and NCCWSC will leverage USGS and other federal scientific capabilities and new university-based capabilities, and will link directly to DOI Landscape Conservation Cooperatives, and to many other public and private managers and scientists. The Center will produce partner-driven science that improves understanding of a wide variety of global changes, and that assists managers in adapting to these changes. CSCs and NCCWSC will:

  • Work with management partners to identify and prioritize science needs
  • Develop relevant climate and land use forecasts,
  • Improve understanding of the effects of likely global changes on valued natural and cultural resources
  • Identify lands, resources, and communities that are most vulnerable to adverse impacts of change.

Successful adaptation to climate change will depend on access to information on effective management responses. The USGS will provide tools for managers to develop, implement, and test adaptive strategies, reduce risk, and increase the potential for ecosystems to be self-sustaining, resilient, and adaptable to change.