Chapter 4 Habitats
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.
Priority Conservation Action, Examples of Focal Species or Focal Habitats • Monitor the effect of sea level rise on estuarine habitats, document changes in habitat characteristics, such as salinity; elevation; water levels; plant community composition, structure, and density; and monitor marsh die-back events.
• Pursue a coordinated federal and state mapping effort to use existing information; identify and address gaps necessary to monitor salt marshes over time (Lee 2024) .
• Determine status and trends in wetland acreage, condition, and functions (NCDEQ 2021) .
• Continue participation in EPA’s National Wetland Condition Assessment (NCDEQ 2021) .
4.3.3.6.3 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 dynamics. Research must also be conducted to determine vulnerability of SGCN and other priority species to specific threats and studies should provide recommendations for mitigation and restoration.
Priority Conservation Action, Examples of Focal Species or Focal Habitats
• Evaluate and prioritize restoration of coastal marshes and waterbird habitats to reduce sea level rise impacts to breeding habitats.
• Research on how to facilitate coastal marsh migration and the effects of prescribed fire in high marsh, to reduce the impact of rapid sea level rise on breeding habitat of marsh species (e.g., Black Rail).
• Study the response of priority bird species that depend on estuarine high marsh to prescribed fire.
4 - 138
2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator