Chapter 2 The Need for Conservation
species and habitats most in need of conservation action are those determined to be imperiled and vulnerable taxa; endemic taxa and disjunct and peripheral populations; ephemeral habitats for migratory species; representative, under-represented, or imperiled ecosystem types; and areas of high ecological integrity. 2.3.4 Critical Areas for Freshwater Conservation There have been many aquatic assessments undertaken by conservation organizations during the last several years that address freshwater biodiversity conservation at different scales. These assessments used information gathered in previous efforts to identify significant regions and priority areas for freshwater conservation. For example, The Nature Conservancy (TNC) quantified the distribution of freshwater systems and the condition of lands and waters surrounding them to generate a set of priorities for freshwater preservation, restoration, and further exploration (Burns et al . 2012; Benner et al. 2014) . TNC evaluated streams in the state by applying criteria that considered physical properties and condition characteristics to evaluate their degree of resilience or vulnerability. Resilient stream and river systems are those that have the greatest potential to continue supporting biodiversity into the future despite potentially severe, and often unpredictable, impacts from climate change (Benner et al. 2014). A resilient network is a structurally intact geophysical setting that sustains a diversity of species and natural communities, maintains basic relationships among ecological features and key ecological processes, and allows for adaptive change in composition and structure (Anderson et al. 2012; Benner et al. 2014) . The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) conducted a conservation assessment of freshwater ecoregions of North America (Abell et al . 2000) . TNC also assessed small-scale watersheds across the country (Aldrich et al. 1998) and subsequently identified priority areas within four freshwater ecoregions in the Southeast (Smith, Freeman et al.2002) . All three efforts identify the Southeast as a key region for freshwater conservation efforts. Many of the critical areas identified in those efforts overlap North Carolina’s borders. • The entire South Atlantic freshwater ecoregion (southern Virginia through central Georgia) was identified by Abell et al. (2000) as a key region in which to focus aquatic conservation efforts in North America. • Smith, Freeman et al. (2002) identified 70 sites for priority freshwater conservation in North Carolina (14 in the Tennessee-Cumberland Aquatic Region, 56 in the South Atlantic Aquatic Region). The US Geological Survey released a report on climate change and future water availability in the United States (Scholl et al. 2025). The report indicates that surface waters provide the largest proportion of public-supply withdrawals. The report also notes the largest category for water
2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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