Chapter 4 Habitats
Priority Conservation Action, Examples of Focal Species or Focal Habitats • Support and implement priorities for marsh conservation developed by collaborative partnerships such as the Currituck Sound Coalition’s Marsh Conservation Plan (Audubon 2021) , North Carolina Salt Marsh Action Plan (NCCF 2024) , NC Coastal Habitat Protection Plan (NCDMF 2021) , APNEP Comprehensive Conservation and Management Plan (APNEP 2022) , and others.
• Protect tidal freshwater wetlands in rivers and upper sounds, some of which will become the extensive estuarine communities in the future. Salt and brackish marshes will benefit from this.
• Protect buffers and floodplain rivers, as this will benefit estuaries by reducing pollutant input and reducing drastic changes in freshwater input.
• Protect inland tidal freshwater wetlands, which will become extensive estuarine communities in the future, and allow the barrier islands to migrate and new inlets to form.
• Focus on land acquisition and protection for a number of heronries on the mainland side of Pamlico Sound where brackish marshes are in private ownership. Acquisition targets should include brackish marsh impoundments, which will then require continued management for maintenance. • Protect habitats in large enough patches to sustain priority species, reconnect fragmented habitats, restore habitats that have been lost or converted, enhance the function and structure of habitats that have been degraded, and manage habitats for priority species (ACJV 2022) .
• Work with partners (e.g., NC Coastal Federation, Audubon NC, TNC, Ducks Unlimited) to leverage funding programs that target conservation of coastal wetlands.
References are located at the end of this document.
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2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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