Chapter 4 Habitats
Table 4.3.3-1. Comparison of climate change with other threats to estuarine wetland communities. Threat Rank Order Comments
will prevent inland migration of marshes. Increased movement of sediment and nutrients from inland areas by increasingly intense storms will worsen water quality problems in estuaries, though this effect may be less important than the effects of increased urban development in general. Encroachment on public lands and public trust waters creates impacts to hunting and fishing access. 3 Water pollution from rivers and from nearby development has caused fish kills and shellfish closures in some estuaries. 4 Dredging and dredge material placement can drain marshes or fill wetlands. Dredged material placement has been used very effectively in some areas to create marsh or upland bird nesting areas within the estuaries. However, there is limited funding for dredging projects and increased competition with coastal towns for sand placement for beach nourishment projects. Other beach stabilization projects (e.g. inlet channel relocation and efforts to restrict channel movement) reduce availability of microhabitats, such as mud and algal flats around inlets. 4 Ground-nesting birds are impacted by human disturbance, pets (especially free-roaming and feral cats), and wildlife predation by nonnative species.
Pollution
Dredge and Fill Impacts
Predation and Disturbance
Nutria are considered a serious pest species in the United States because they eat a variety of wetland and agricultural plants and their burrowing damages streambanks, impoundments, and drainage systems. Herbivory and burrowing damage from Nutria impact estuarine communities. As plant roots are removed and substrates damaged from excavation, soil loss and land subsidence can occur from sea level rise, tidal flooding, and storm surge. Phragmites can colonize disturbed areas quickly and can dominate native species.
Invasive Species
4
Alternative Energy Systems
5 Development of wind power turbines will impact birds and bats (major activity zones for both).
4.3.3.5 Impacts to Wildlife Appendix 3 provides a list of SGCN and other priority species for which there are knowledge gaps and management concerns. Table 3-17 in Appendix 3 identifies terrestrial SGCN that depend on or are associated with estuarine wetlands.
Many bird species associated with these community types have experienced significant declines according to inventory and survey data. Several priority bird species, such as the Seaside
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2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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