Reference Document 5-3
Appendix 5
projected trend for the whole region due to climate and impoundment effects, whereas CCVI assessments were conducted at a state level; by Tennessee, for example for the above mentioned salamander species (see Table 16) ( Glick et al. 2015) . Additionally, to date, many species have either not been assessed using the NatureServe Climate Change Vulnerability Index tool or been the subject of regional ecological niche modeling efforts as is indicated by the gray “Not Assessed” boxes in Table 16. Species Status Assessment reports (SSAs), produced by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, provide another source of valuable information for enhancing the conservation of montane SGCN in North Carolina. SSAs generally integrate population and demographic data, current and projected climate data (e.g., GCMs), and data quantifying a variety of potential risks (e.g., pollutant concentrations, land use change) to both assess the current status of individual species populations and predict how this will change under future climate change. For example, in the 2020 SSA for the Tennessee Clubshell ( Pleurobema oviforme ) and Tennessee Pigtoe ( Pleuronaia barnesiana ) mussels, a regression model was developed to identify the significant stressors contributing to a species’ current condition using a Bayesian approach, as well as a future conditions analysis (USFWS 2020) . The major risk factor identified for both species was hydrologic alteration (from human development or precipitation events) (USFWS 2020) . Models found that the baseline risk for extirpation for the two listed mussel species were variable for watersheds’ present risk, ranging from 10-60% for the Tennessee Clubshell and from 40-70% for the Tennessee Pigtoe, depending on the watershed (see Figure 24, A & C at the end of this report). The present risk of extirpation for watersheds in the lower portion of the Tennessee River system is high for both species: ranging from 60-100% for the Tennessee Clubshell and 70- 100% for the Tennessee Pigtoe, depending on the watershed (see Figure 24). When the SSA concludes that the five remaining contemporary populations in the Tennessee region are in moderate or low demographic condition with high to moderate risk of extirpation (USFWS 2020) . In summary, threats to North Carolina’s montane wildlife populations and climate impacts reported in studies cited here are worrisome and signal the need for conservation action. North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission’s Aquatic and Wildlife Diversity Programs have several ongoing projects/programs for research and conservation actions in the Appalachian Mountains including propagation for augmentation and restoration of aquatic species, Red Spruce habitat restoration to reconnect movement corridors for Carolina Northern Flying Squirrels, and participating is species working groups and collaborations to implement regional conservation measures.
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2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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