Chapter 4 Habitats
Section 4.2.2 provides recommendations appropriate for all aquatic communities, statewide. Actions specific to the river basins that contain warmwater streams are provided in Section 4.5.
4.2.5.6.1 Surveys Surveys are systematic and scientific methods of collecting information about the distribution, abundance, and ecology of wildlife or their habitats in a specific area at a specific time. A habitat survey is a method of gathering information about the ecology of a site. The results of a habitat survey provide basic ecological information that can be used for biodiversity conservation, planning and/or management, including targeting of more detailed botanical or zoological investigations (Smith et al. 2011) . Repeated surveys using the same methods can provide information about conditions and changes to species assemblages and habitat composition over time. Priorities for conducting distributional and status surveys need to focus on species believed to be declining or mainly dependent on at-risk or sensitive communities. Distributional and status surveys are needed for aquatic snails, crayfish, mussels, and fish (in order of general need). Priority Conservation Action, Examples of Focal Species or Focal Habitats • Conduct surveys to detect the presence and collect life history and abundance data for freshwater snails and crayfish, as there is limited information available on these species.
Snails
Crayfish
4.2.5.6.2 Monitoring Monitoring involves repeated observation and recording of specific parameters to show trends over time. Long-term monitoring that includes statistical and quantitative analysis in the design is critical to assessing species and ecosystem health and gauging the resilience of organisms to changing conditions (Gitzen et al. 2012, Lindenmayer and Likens 2009) . Monitoring efforts should include identification of population trends, as well as assessment of impacts from conservation or development activities. These efforts will inform species and habitat management decisions. Long-term monitoring sites need to be identified, and monitoring protocols developed for all priority species. Monitoring plans should be coordinated with other existing monitoring programs where feasible. Monitoring of aquatic taxa is critical to assessing species and ecosystem health and gauging the resilience of organisms to a changing climate. These monitoring efforts will inform future decisions on how to manage aquatic species. 4.2.5.6.3 Research Research topics that facilitate appropriate conservation actions include habitat use and preferences, reproductive behavior, fecundity, population dynamics and genetics, feeding, competition, and food web. Research must also be conducted to determine vulnerability of priority species to specific threats, and studies should provide recommendations for mitigation
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2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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