Developing a climate adaptation plan for the Metlakatla cumulative effects management program (CEM program climate adaptation plan: phase one)

This project undertakes Phase One of the Metlakatla Cumulative Effects Management (CEM) Program Climate Adaptation Plan. The Metlakatla CEM Program is a resource management system for monitoring the status of priority Metlakatla values and responding proactively to undesirable cumulative change in Metlakatla territory over time. Like the cumulative effects of industrial development, climate change is a critical stressor on the status of priority values. The CEM Program Climate Adaptation Plan (or 'the Plan') aims to aid the Metlakatla CEM Program in restoring and improving the condition of Metlakatla values by developing actions to address and adapt to climate change. The purpose of Phase One is to develop the Plan's framework, highlight climate change impacts affecting Metlakatla territory, and identify top sensitivities among key Metlakatla values. Phase One undertakes a literature review of relevant climate planning literature to identify best practices for the CEM Program Climate Adaptation Plan, which informed the framework's development. Then, Phase One identifies priority Metlakatla values, hazards of concern, and climate projections. After identifying key values, changes, and concerns, Phase One assesses the sensitivity of values by identifying their current state and the potential impact of reviewed hazards. Of the 29 assessed values, fourteen were identified as having a 'critical' sensitivity, highlighting priority areas for adaptation action development in subsequent work. Phase One ultimately provides a resource for understanding how climate change will materialize in Metlakatla territory and identifies which values are potentially most sensitive to climate change hazards.