4.3 Wetland Natural Communities
where applicable. Land conservation or preservation can serve numerous purposes in the face of anticipated climate change, but above all, it promotes ecosystem resilience. • Focus habitat protection measures on utilizing existing regulatory frameworks to pro- tect both the habitat and these species (e.g., state and federal endangered species laws, wetland protection laws, etc.). • Fully utilize government conservation programs and incentives (e.g., Farm Bill pro- grams) and partnerships with private landowners to stem the conversion of suit- able bogs to other uses. • Actively pursue conservation ownership through acquisition of mountain bogs in con- cert with state and federal agency partners (e.g., US Fish and Wildlife Service [USFWS], US Forest Service, National Parks Service, Natural Resources Conservation Service, NC Division of Parks and Recreation, NC Natural Heritage Program, local governments, etc.) as well as private conservation partners (e.g., Te Nature Conservancy, land trusts).
4.3.2 Estuarine Wetland Communities 4.3.2.1 Ecosystem Description
Estuarine wetland communities are afected by tidal waters in and along the sounds and drowned river mouths (see Section 4.2.14). Te community includes brackish marsh, salt marsh, salt fats, and salt shrub components. In addition to the components described here, sand fats, mud fats, and algal mats are part of the estuarine community. • Salt marshes occur where tides regularly food the area with undiluted sea water. Tis environment of repeated fooding and exposure and higher salinity levels limit the diversity of plant species that occur in salt marshes to only a few species. Much of the productivity in salt marshes is likely below ground in organic materials. Saltmarsh and Saltmeadow cordgrasses dominate these communities, and only a few other vascular plants occur. Algae may also be an important part of plant productivity. Te abundance of invertebrates such as mollusks and crustaceans indicates the transitional nature of these communities between terrestrial and marine systems. • Brackish marshes occur in areas where the tidal waters are partly diluted by fresh water. Tey are low in plant diversity, with Black Needlerush usually dominating vast areas. • Salt fats occur in fairly small areas of slight depression at the upper edge of salt or brackish marshes. Salty water foods these areas only occasionally. Once fooded, the water is trapped in the depression and evaporates, leaving salt concentrated in the
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2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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