Chapter 3 North Carolina Species
help the NCWRC determine how best to use the SEAFWA SGCN database during future taxa team SGCN evaluations.
3.1.5 Taxa Team SGCN Evaluation Process Conservation priorities need to include the greatest variety of biological diversity possible as a means of ensuring that genetic diversity and ecosystem services remain viable as our environment is changed by natural and man-made forces. One way to determine where to focus our conservation efforts is to evaluate what we know about the status of a species and prioritize where best to direct our efforts. In preparation for the first comprehensive review and revision of North Carolina’s SWAP (2015), a work group comprising NCWRC biologists developed recommendations for an evaluation process that was peer-reviewed by species experts and research authorities. The evaluation process and methods are described in a white paper found in Appendix 3 (Reference Document 3-1). A new work group was convened in 2022 to review the 2015 SWAP evaluation process and recommended the method be retained for application in the 2025 SWAP comprehensive review and revision. Taxa Teams of species experts were convened in 2023 and tasked with evaluating eight taxonomic groups of fish and wildlife based on the jurisdictional authority outlined in Section 3.1 and traditional programmatic boundaries. These eight taxonomic groups are: amphibians, birds, crayfishes, freshwater fishes, freshwater mussels, mammals, reptiles, and snails. The 2025 SWAP revision Taxa Teams used three evaluation categories to measure what we know about the status of North Carolina’s fish and wildlife species. The categories are described in Reference 3-1 and include the following: 1. Conservation Concerns (Metrics 1 through 9). This category evaluates biological vulnerability by considering the global and regional status and trends of a species range- wide (wherever it occurs) as well as its local status (wherever it occurs in North Carolina). The species that scored above a threshold established by each Taxa Team for the Conservation Concern evaluation category have been designated as SGCN. 2. Knowledge Gaps (Metrics 10 through 14). This category is similar in scope to the ‘Research Needed’ classification scheme outlined in the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria (IUCN 2012) . This category was developed to identify and prioritize survey, monitoring, and research needs of species in North Carolina. 3. Management Needs (Metrics 15 through 20). Ranking scores developed for this category can be used to identify and highlight population sustainability issues and areas
2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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