4.2 Aquatic Communities
• Conduct stream surveys adjacent to areas poised for development (edge of urban expansion) to establish baseline populations and identify problems before development expands. Monitoring. Monitoring of aquatic taxa is critical to assessing species and ecosystem health, and gauging the resilience of organisms to a changing climate. Tese monitoring eforts will inform future decisions on how to manage aquatic species. Long-term moni- toring is needed to identify population trends and to assess performance of conservation actions. Monitoring plans should be coordinated with other existing monitoring programs where feasible. Research. Research topics that facilitate appropriate conservation actions include habitat use and preferences, reproductive behavior, fecundity, population dynamics and genet- ics, feeding, competition, and food web dynamics. Research must also be conducted to determine vulnerability of priority species to specifc threats, and studies should provide recommendations for mitigation and restoration. Aquatic species propagation is an area of current and ongoing research. Developing techniques for propagation of aquatic species is critical for preserving those species and their genetic stock, particularly those that are rare, at high risk of extinction or extirpation, and difcult to propagate in a laboratory setting. • Examine stream temperature and associated microclimatic responses to a range of shading variables from riparian vegetation. Management Practices. Management practices that reduce impacts and work synergis- tically with other conservation actions are needed to enhance the resilience of natural resources. Particular needs include preserving biodiversity, protecting native populations and their habitats, and improving degraded habitats. • Reduce impervious surfaces as one measure to control runof and erosion. Research has shown that impervious levels of 8%–12% represent a region where small changes in urbanization can cause major changes in stream condition (Wang et al. 2001) . Tere are also many BMPs that may be alternatives to reduce runof. Partnerships and Cooperative Eforts. Conservation programs, incentives, and partner- ships should be utilized to the fullest extent to preserve high-quality resources and pro- tect important natural communities. Protective measures that utilize existing regulatory frameworks to protect habitats and species should be incorporated where applicable.
• Promote eforts to control stormwater management point source pollution.
• Land use planning and zoning laws are needed to guide development, land clearing activities, and hydrology alterations within foodplains. Planning such as this may for
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2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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