Appendix Q
Addendum 1
habitats that support sustainable populations. The recommendations provided in the NCWAP are based on landscape-scale concepts. Like the landscape concept, a guild concept is often used to provide a framework for discussions about habitat conservation that benefits multiple species and their natural communities. Groups of species that use the same resources, but are not taxonomically related, are often referred to as an ecological guild. As an aid when considering conservation and management actions based on guilds, a species-habitat association matrix is provided for SGCN in NCWAP Appendix H. This cross-walk matrix is formatted as a table and uses the ecoregions and natural communities described in Chapter 4 of the NCWAP. This species-habitat matrix forms the foundation for the DSTs. The table can be downloaded as an Excel-compatible file from the NCWAP website www.ncwildlife.org/plan.
Background on Decision Support Tools (DST)
The N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) is responsible for review and revision of the NCWAP. The first NCWAP was published in 2005. At a minimum, the Plan must be comprehensively reviewed and revised if needed at 10-year intervals. A description of the NCWAP, required topics, and review and revision guidelines can be found in Chapter 1 of the document. During the most recent 10-year revision cycle, the NCWRC followed best practice recommendations from the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies that called for states to develop spatial models and maps to provide information on SGCN, other at-risk wildlife, and key habitats. The recommendation was to use spatial models to analyze and identify areas likely to need conservation based on habitat threats such as urban growth, pollution, and the effects of climate change. To meet the recommendation, the NCWRC developed two new spatial modeling tools. The NCWRC partnered with the Biodiversity and Spatial Information Center (BaSIC) at N.C. State University (NCSU) to develop decision support tools (DST) relevant to NCWAP priorities for species by way of habitats. The BaSIC is a collaborative effort funded by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) and NCSU Southeast Climate Science Center to simulate future patterns of urban growth across a nine-state region over the next 50 years. The DSTs use GIS modeling to analyze spatial data and the results can be linked to conservation action priorities outlined in the NCWAP (see Chapters 3 and 4).
Results from DST analyses are presented on a map using a 12-digit Hydrologic Unit Code (HUC) classification system for sub-watershed drainage areas. Information about the HUC classification system is available from the USGS website https://water.usgs.gov/GIS/huc.html.
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2020 Addendum NC Wildlife Action Plan
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