2015 Wildlife Action Plan Addendum Proposal
RESPONSE REQUIRED
Q4 Please state why you support or do not support the changes to the Wildlife Action Plan.
Answered: 168
Skipped: 25
#
RESPONSES
DATE
1
As an enthusiastic naturalist and member of many botanical circles and groups, I've come to know North Carolina as a hotspot of botanical diversity here in the United States, and in North America! I've visited the state on numerous occasions to see its rare and range-restricted plants, including several regional endemics. I've put money into local businesses--hotels, stores, restaurants, etc.--as a result of my pursuit of interesting plants in the state, and know many who have done so, or who would love to. Conserving these plants would ensure that ecotourists like us keep visiting the state. I've had the privilege of traveling internationally throughout much of my life, and almost everywhere I've been, I've seen environmental devastation and misuse. One of the many things that sets the US apart from other countries is its level of dedication to conservation; I would love to see protection extended to plants in NC as an affirmation of this. Plants represent a large part of the diversity across this state and they are essential for wildlife species to provide forage or sustenance, provide cover, provide host species for pollinators, as well as other services. Plants respond to natural or man-made disturbances that can enhance many desirable animal species. By adding plants the action plan will ensure a more complete ecological analysis. Plants are the basis of ecological communities throughout the great state of North Carolina, and are the foundation for our foodweb. In addition, North Carolina boasts many unique plants like Fraser Fir and Venus Flytraps which tourists from around the country will pay money to come visit, thus helping the tourist economy in remote rural areas of North Carolina. I think supporting the changes to the Wildlife Action Plan are a good idea. I support the changes to the Wildlife Action Plan. North Carolina is fortunate to have many species of unique and distinctive plants. Many rare plants, like Venus Flytraps, are culturally significant and represent important biological communities. Plants define so many of our signature landscapes, from the fraser firs and rhododendrons of the mountains to the longleaf pine savannas and beach dune communities near the coast. I am an avid naturalist who has gone on several trips to see rare plants, including to Morehead City, Raleigh, and the Smoky Mountains, providing a unique economic contribution to the communities. I believe that drawing attention to and providing funding for conservation of rare plants supports the biodiversity, economy, and culture of our great state, and for all these reasons and more I support adding rare plants to the Wildlife Action Plan. Strongly support the addition of Plants (specifically imperiled plant species) as inclusive in the revised NC Wildlife Action Plan Plant species represent a very large proportion of our state’s total biodiversity. Adding plants into the Wildlife Action Plan will expand the scope and impact of this conservation strategy. By identifying conservation needs and enacting conservation programs earlier for at-risk species, reducing the need to list species. I will always support protection of native plants. These should be considered just as valuable as animal species. We all know that ecosystems can not exist without plants. Honestly, I wish even more was being done to protect them! North Carolina is developing at an unprecedented rate. Invasive species, wildlife decline and climate change have substantially changed the landscape and the nature of the challenges facing people and the wild. The mounting threats facing NC’s public trust natural resources and the emergence of new conservation funding, along with increasing public interest in the value and protection of these resources, make this an ideal time to improve the plan, making it more comprehensive and inclusive of emerging data, climate change, and the increasing need to bolster the resiliency of communities in tandem with nature. We must strengthen the
5/24/2022 10:25 AM
2
5/22/2022 8:59 PM
5/20/2022 4:42 PM
3
4
5/20/2022 4:33 PM
5/20/2022 11:52 AM
5
5/20/2022 11:34 AM
6
7
5/20/2022 5:41 AM
8
5/19/2022 11:38 PM
3 / 18
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online