A Largely Intact Ecosystem in Alaska: Key Results from the Yukon Kuskokwim Rapid Ecoregional Assessment

Rapid Ecoregional Assessments (REAs) are the first step in the Bureau of Land Management’s “Landscape Approach” to land management, transcending management boundaries and synthesizing existing data at an ecoregional level for current, near-term (2025), and long-term (2060) future potential changes. The approach to the Yukon Kuskokwim REA in Alaska is unique in that the ecoregion is largely intact and operating under natural conditions. Only very localized impacts to the landscape condition are expected by 2025 and 2060.  However, climate is expected to change measuredly by 2060 with increases of more than 3ᴼC (5ᴼF) expected in the northern part of the ecoregion.  In addition, fire is anticipated to increase with much shorter return intervals in forested areas and sustained loss in discontinuous permafrost is expected.  These changes are likely to have direct impact on the terrestrial and aquatic species and habitats, including the potential for elevated infection and mortality rates in salmon, and changes in habitat with potential loss in spruce forests, flood plains, discontinuous lakes, streams, fishes, and waterfowl.