Olympia Lecture: Guiding Biodiversity Conservation in Washington

Washington’s beautiful landscapes support a tremendous diversity of ecosystems including marine eelgrass beds, tidepools, salt marshes, lowland rainforests, montane coniferous forests, subalpine and alpine meadows and parklands, shrub steppe, grasslands, prairies, sand dunes, riparian areas, forested swamps, vernal pools, marshes, fens and bogs. These ecosystems in turn support thousands of species, some of which are unique to Washington and not found anywhere else on earth. Much of this biodiversity is threatened by changes in land use, invasive species, climate change, and many other factors.

This presentation will introduce you to our state’s amazing array of biodiversity, discuss the stressors that threaten their long-term viability, and review how the activities of Washington Department of Natural Resources’, Natural Heritage Program play a critical role for informing and guiding biodiversity conservation in Washington State.