Chapter 4 Habitats
Priority Conservation Action, Examples of Focal Species or Focal Habitats
• Conduct shorebird surveys throughout the year to better understand population fluctuations for breeding, wintering, and migratory birds. American Oystercatcher Piping Plover Wilson’s Plover
• Determine distribution and status of wintering shorebirds (Sprandel et al. 2000) .
4.4.17.6.2 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 priority species. Monitoring plans should be coordinated with other existing monitoring 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
• Continue support for regular colonial waterbird surveys (currently conducted coast-wide roughly every three years).
• Continue sea turtle nest and stranding monitoring.
• Monitor introduced nonnative species effects (especially plants and invertebrates) on native coastal wildlife, including sea turtles.
• Monitor status and reproductive success of coastal shorebirds. Black Skimmer Caspian Tern Common Tern Gull-billed Tern Least Tern Piping Plover • Determine seasonal numbers and distribution of shorebirds ( Dinsmore et al. 1998 ).
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2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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