Chapter 4 Habitats
Nutria may be a vector for diseases (e.g., tuberculosis and septicemia) or parasites (e.g., Giardia, Fasciola , Liver Flukes, and nematodes), with fecal contamination in water the likely pathway ( Carr 2010 ). 4.2.10.6 Recommendations Section 4.2.2 provides recommendations appropriate for all aquatic communities, statewide. Actions specific to the state’s river basins are provided in Section 4.5. Large river communities provide a number of important habitats, life cycle, or prey components to a vast assemblage of terrestrial, semi-aquatic, and aquatic wildlife. The lower reaches of Coastal Plain large rivers are more vulnerable to the effects of climate change, especially rising sea levels and saltwater intrusion, which will likely change the overall species composition in these systems. Important actions to promote resilience are to protect and maintain floodplains and riparian vegetation. Piedmont large river systems are likely to be impacted by continued development and the water quality issues associated with runoff and withdrawals. 4.2.10.6.1 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. Priority Conservation Action, Examples of Focal Species or Focal Habitats • Carry out surveys to document the distribution, relative abundance, and status of many wildlife species associated with riverine habitats. Priorities for conducting surveys need to focus on species believed to be declining, at risk, or mainly dependent on riverine communities.
• Conduct additional surveys for species for which current distribution information is already available or for species that are considered common.
• Conduct mussel surveys in large rivers to determine distribution and status of priority species. Eastern Pondmussel Tidewater Mucket Yellow Lampmussel
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2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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