Appendix 5
Reference Document 5-2
The following tables with indicator information are provided at the end of this document.
• Table 3 - Overview of recent trends in ecosystem indicators comparing North Carolina and the Southeastern US • Table 4 - Trends for beach birds • Table 5 - Trends for forested wetland birds • Table 6 – Trends for grassland and savannah birds • Table 7 – Trends for upland forest bird species
North Carolina’s Regional Species of Greatest Conservation Need
Each state’s wildlife action plan identifies SGCN, or the species most in need of proactive conservation attention (see Chapter 3 and Appendix P for a list of North Carolina’s SGCN identified for this SWAP revision). After the 2015 SWAP revision cycle, the combined lists of SGCN for the 15 states that fall within the SEAFWA geography included more than 7,000 species. However, many SGCN occur across multiple states. Effectively managing and conserving these species requires actions and management strategies that will best allow for species movement and ensure the availability of key ecological attributes provided by different habitats across the landscape at different times. To help support long- term conservation goals for imperiled plant and animal species conservation partners have developed Regional Species of Greatest Conservation Need (RSGCN) list.
Animal RSGCN
In 2019, the National Wildlife Federation, as part of the Vital Futures project funded by the U.S. Geological Survey, prioritized the large number of SGCN collectively identified in the previous iteration of 15 Southeastern SWAPs. Across the 15 southeastern states, the combined lists of SGCNs totals nearly 6,700 species (National Wildlife Federation 2023). The Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (SEAFWA) Wildlife Diversity Committee collaborated with the National Wildlife Federation and other partners to evaluate these species and produce a list of 960 regional priority species (1,034 including subspecies), or animal RSGCN. A report, “Regional Species of Greatest Conservation Need in the Southeastern United States,” was written to detail the methodology used to develop the RSGCN list (Rice et al. 2019). A dataset for the RSGCN list is available online (GADNR 2024). This effort aligns with the Northeast Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies’ similar project to develop a RSGCN list for the Northeast Region. Identifying animal RSGCN drew upon a collaborative process among Southeastern State fish and wildlife agencies and partners that involved more than 100 experts and used a set of consistent criteria to review current scientific information and evaluate state-identified SGCN. Species were evaluated based on several primary factors, including: 1) the level of conservation concern (i.e. extinction risk), 2) regional stewardship responsibility (i.e. importance of the Southeast in conservation of the species), and 3) biological or ecological significance (e.g., unique evolutionary lineages). The regional assessment focused on species in key taxonomic groups, including vertebrates (mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fishes) as well as several better-known groups of invertebrate animals (freshwater mussels, crayfish, and bumblebees). Scientific experts in each of these groups convened to evaluate and
2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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