Chapter 4 Habitats
Coastal Fringe and Coastal Fringe Evergreen Forests can be found on marsh islands at Swanquarter National Wildlife Refuge and higher uplands at Goose Creek State Park. 4.4.16.3 Problems Affecting Habitats Land Use. Any loss will be very significant for these already-rare communities. The acreage completely lost from this system by community shifts and destruction may be catastrophic. New sites for these communities may be generated as the coastal landscape changes, but only in places not already destroyed by development. Most barrier island examples occur in complexes that are distant from each other, but connections within the complexes can be threatened both naturally by rising sea level and by human actions such as hydrological alteration. Succession. With limited dune development in many parts, maritime swamp forests are vulnerable to erosion of the foredunes and increased overwash. If erosion breaches swales and exposes them to sea water intrusion or overwash in storms, they will likely become maritime grasslands. If they are low enough to have irregular tidal inundation, they will become brackish marshes. A lack of fire to maintain some variants of these habitats is also leading to successional changes in many of these sites. Burning is almost impossible to conduct in areas surrounded by homes. Climate Change. The net change in acreage of this type will likely be drastic only if sea level rises faster than new examples can develop. Increased natural disturbance by wind, salt spray, and storm surge intrusion will be significant. Some of these communities consist of species that can recover from these disturbances, but increased frequency will result in death and regeneration, more time spent in recovery stages and shifts toward the most tolerant species. 4.4.16.4 Climate Change Compared to Other Threats Comparing climate change to other ecosystem threats can help define short- and long-term conservation actions and recommendations. Climate change may be the biggest threat to remaining examples of this ecosystem group, especially in places where topography or development limits potential for elevational migration. A combination of synergistic effects with other existing conditions could stress these systems to the point where several species are unable to persist. Residential and commercial coastal development leading to fragmentation and overall reduction of habitat is the single most important factor leading to the existing loss of this habitat. Table 4.4.16-1 summarizes the comparison of climate change with other existing threats.
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2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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