Chapte r 3. N or th Carolina Spec ies
Required Element 1 : Information on the distribution and abundance of species of wildlife, including low and declining populations as the state fish and wildlife agency deems appropriate, that are indicative of the diversity and health of the state’s wildlife.
3.1 Introduction Keeping common species common and preventing extinction are important actions. Any loss of species will reduce diversity in natural communities and will have unknown consequences for ecosystems’ processes, functions, and services upon which we depend (Mace and Purvis 2008; Diaz et al. 2006) . A loss of species diversity can also contribute to constraints in gene flow, which will influence the ability of a species to survive changing conditions and stressors (Mace and Purvis 2008; Myers and Knoll 2001) . Conservation efforts are often necessary to successfully reverse declining population trends and prevent the need for a species to be listed for protection under federal and state laws. While it could be justified to rank every species at the highest priority for conservation and management efforts, there are usually not sufficient resources to implement and achieve this level of effort. Time, staff, and budget constraints are resource limitations that must be factored into conservation planning to support more effective use of resources. It is important to focus efforts not only on the highest priorities but also on those measures that have the greatest impact, can achieve the most benefits, or are easiest to implement. It is also important to take advantage of opportunities to work synergistically with partners toward achieving common conservation goals. In most cases, common names are used throughout this document to identify a species. Exceptions include species for which there is taxonomic uncertainty or when common practice is to use a form of the scientific name as the common name; in those instances, the scientific name may be used to identify the species. Lists of all species found in North Carolina that were evaluated by a Taxa Team for identification of SGCN include the common and scientific names, taxonomic information, federal and state protection status, and taxa team evaluation results. Appendix 3 contains the following list of tables that have designations for SGCN and other priority species for the taxonomic groups discussed in this chapter. The tables also provide the common and scientific names and taxonomic information for species evaluated by Taxa Teams. Insect SGCN are designated through recommendations from species experts and partners. Plant SGCN are designated through the state listing process by Scientific Council.
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2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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