Chapter 4 Habitats
4.3.11.6 Recommendations These communities are isolated and contrast strongly with the surrounding uplands. They will be unable to migrate. The most important actions needed for these communities are to protect unprotected examples and to protect or restore the surrounding uplands for as many of these wetland communities as possible. As more examples are lost, the remaining ones will become increasingly important for the survival of amphibian populations. Seasonal wetlands must have sufficient surrounding habitat to support the life history requirements of amphibian and reptile populations. It is particularly important to protect the larger and wetter examples, which are more likely to persist in drier conditions. With more extreme weather, populations in individual basins may become less stable and more dependent on metapopulation dynamics for their long-term survival. Where they can be protected or established, connections between examples will become even more important than at present. 4.3.11.6.1 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
• Investigate the status and distribution of species associated with Piedmont wetland habitats. Common Ribbonsnake Three-lined Salamander
• Survey for all amphibian species associated with small wetland communities.
4.3.11.6.2 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
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2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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