4.3 Wetland Natural Communities
T ABLE 4.16 Comparison of climate change with other threats to estuarine wetland communities
Rank Order Comments
Threat
Climate Change
1 Estuarine communities are extremely vulnerable to the efects of rising sea levels and the potential erosion and inundation of barrier islands. Loss of barrier islands would expose the mainland side of estuarine areas to open ocean, leading to changes in salinity, tides, and wave action that would likely cause major changes to the mainland coastline. 2 Development near coastal communities has resulted in pollution and water qual- ity declines that impact SAVs. Buildings along shoreline introduce night lighting and light pollution. Development on uplands will prevent inland migration of marshes. Increased movement of sediment and nutrients from inland areas by increasingly intense storms will worsen water quality problems in estuaries, though this efect may be less important than the efects of increased urban development in general. Encroachment on public lands and public trust waters creates impacts to hunting and fshing access. 3 Water pollution from rivers and from nearby development has caused fsh kills and shellfsh closures in some estuaries. 4 Dredging and dredge material placement can drain marshes or fll wetlands. Dredged material placement has been used very efectively in some areas to create marsh or upland bird nesting areas within the estuaries. However, there is limited funding for dredging projects and increased competition with coastal towns for sand placement for beach nourishment projects. Other beach stabiliza- tion projects (e.g. inlet channel relocation and eforts to restrict channel move- ment) reduce availability of microhabitats such as mud and algal fats around inlets. 4 Ground-nesting birds are impacted by human disturbance, pets (especially free roaming and feral cats), and wildlife predation by nonnative species. 4 Nutria are considered a serious pest species in the United States because they eat a variety of wetland and agricultural plants and their burrowing damages stream- banks, impoundments, and drainage systems. Herbivory and burrowing damage from Nutria impact estuarine communities. As plant roots are removed and sub- strates damaged from excavation, soil loss and land subsidence can occur from sea level rise, tidal fooding, and storm surge. Phragmites can colonize disturbed areas quickly and can dominate native species. 5 Development of wind power turbines will impact birds and bats (major activity zones for both).
Development
Pollution
Dredge and Fill Impacts
Predation and Disturbance
Invasive Species
Alternative Energy Systems
Black Ducks also nest in brackish marshes. Tis species will lose nesting habitat as inunda- tion drowns currently occupied marshes. Climate change will have a signifcant efect on brackish waterfowl impoundments, which provide high-quality habitats to breeding and wintering waterfowl and other shore and wading birds. Many of these areas will be lost to sea level rise. Losses, drastic alteration, or disturbance of estuarine communities (especially marsh hab- itats) could have serious consequences for nutrient cycling and for reproduction of marine
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2015 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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