Wildlife Action Plan 2015 Revision Process White Paper
variability of likely climate change impacts, as currently understood, may afect the state’s wildlife species during the next decade.
Te ranking criteria metrics were developed to be a robust measure of our understanding about the status, trends, and risks of species in the state. Overall, we want the evaluation process to be one that can be applied consistently when used by diferent people and that will facilitate an evaluation and comparison of extinction risks among diferent taxa. To accomplish this goal, the evaluation is divided into three review categories: Conservation Need, Knowledge Gap, and Management Concern. While the Conservation Need metrics consider the status of species both within the state and where they occur elsewhere, the Knowledge Gap and Management Concern metrics consider only the occurrences in North Carolina. Species Ranking. Te ranking process used to identify SGCN and priority species is intended to be both transparent and collaborative, with partners representing numerous state and federal agencies, education and research organizations, and private citizens knowledgeable about the taxa contributing to the process. Teams of species experts and research scientists will complete the ranking evaluation for the species they are knowl- edgeable about. Teir knowledge may be directly related to their own work or indirectly related through access to current research data. A peer-review analysis of the ranking results will be conducted once the Taxa Teams have completed their reviews. Each Taxa Team considered whether adjustments to the method for calculating the Conservation Concern ranking scores would be appropriate for the taxon. Te Taxa Teams that made scoring adjustments are: • Amphibians and Reptiles (Herps): Te Conservation Concern score calculation was adjusted for the Metric 9 threat assessment responses by multiplying the evaluation score by 0.25 and adding the adjusted score to the cumulative score. • Birds: Te cumulative total Conservation Concern score was calculated by using the full score for Metrics 1 through 4 and Metric 6 and adjusted scores for remaining metrics in this category. Te adjustments included multiplying the Metric 5 score by 0.5 in order to address the efect of diferent life histories and carrying capacities of this diverse taxon. Te Metric 7 score was calculated by multiplying the results by 1.5 for each species in order to emphasize the efect of population trends in North Carolina. Te Metric 8 score was adjusted by multiplying the results by 0.5 in order to reduce the efect of coastal species life histories. Te threat assessment score from Metric 9 was calculated as the maximum score reported from the evaluation categories, with 10 points being the max- imum added to the cumulative score.
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2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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