Appendix 5
Reference Document 5-2
North Carolina: A Regional Perspective In 2018, the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA) adopted a resolution on landscape conservation that recognized “the importance of collaborating at landscape scales to help fish and wildlife agencies meet their statutory and regulatory responsibilities to conserve fish and wildlife and their habitats.” In response to the resolution, AFWA established a President’s Task Force on Shared Science & Landscape Conservation Priorities in 2020, which recommended that State Wildlife Action Plans (SWAPs) serve as a framework for regional coordination and collaboration. Within this Plan, North Carolina has identified Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) and outlined strategies to sustain them, including conservation actions to promote species recovery and prevent federal listings under the Endangered Species Act. But to sustain the species that are the responsibility of North Carolina to protect and that also reflect the rich biodiversity, culture, and history of the state, North Carolina must consider its role and the influences of the larger Southeast landscape. This chapter examines regional, landscape-scale considerations for North Carolina and serves as a means for the State to find potential collaborations to best support the State’s SGCN and Southeast Regional SGCN (RSGCN). Additionally, some of the threats that impact SGCN (e.g., climate change) have consequences locally, statewide, and regionally. Addressing these threats effectively requires aligning conservation strategies across state boundaries. By using consistent regional information shared by other states to inform their own SWAPs, North Carolina can better contribute to regional conservation priorities, identify potential landscape-level threats, and help connect the Southeast region’s lands and waters. North Carolina’s Conservation Portfolio: Connecting The Region’s Lands And Waters North Carolina supports a wide diversity of habitats, culturally and historically significant landscapes, and ecosystems that provide benefits to the state as well as the broader Southeast region. North Carolina plays an important role in connecting the lands and waters of the Southeast Region, as well as hosting some regionally important ecosystems and habitat types like maritime forests, longleaf pine, and spruce-fir forests. Many regional and local partners and partnerships are working with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission (NCWRC) to help conserve the state’s iconic and important landscapes. According to the Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US, v4.0 considering fee simple, easements, and designation areas), approximately 6.7 million acres (20%) of the state are considered protected land (Figure 1). This includes important landscapes like the Pisgah and Croatan National Forests, the Cape Hatteras and Cape Lookout National Seashore, the Pocosin and Alligator River National Wildlife Refuges, and state game lands like the Sandhills Game Land and Cold Mountain Game Land.
2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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