Chapter 3 North Carolina Species
Identifying where information is lacking or where uncertainty exists about the information available will improve decisions made about conservation needs and actions. Survey, monitoring, and research data are needed before we can develop conservation actions that benefit species and preserve biodiversity and ecosystem services (Arponen 2012) .
Knowledge Gap research priority species were identified by the 2025 SWAP Taxa Teams and are listed in the SGCN and priority species tables provided in Appendix 3.
3.1.7 Management Needs The Management Concern evaluation category (Metrics 15 through 20) was developed to evaluate both game and nongame species. The evaluation results can be used to identify populations with sustainability issues and areas where there may be a need for management action to mitigate impacts on a species. There may be reasons, other than conservation concern or research needs, for a species to be considered a priority for some type of action. For example, one may be a species of recreational, commercial, or tribal importance that is vulnerable to local threats but has stable populations elsewhere. It may be a species for which we are unable to determine true status in the state because it is not monitored or is very difficult to monitor. Or it may be a species for which there are concerns about the potential for disease to occur within a population, but for which there are no programs for disease monitoring or management. In some cases, when population densities of common species (those found throughout the state) are concentrated to the extent they exert competitive pressures on local populations of rare species, intervention measures may be deemed necessary. Sometimes a species for which we have lower conservation concerns can be impacted by emerging threats or the synergistic effects of multiple threats can cause rapid declines to their populations and management action must be taken to mitigate the impacts. Species that scored above the ranking score thresholds set by the Taxa Teams have been recommended as a priority for decisions about habitat management, land protection, or other management actions. The management priority species are identified in the SGCN and priority species tables provided in Appendix 3.
As noted in the EBCI Wildlife Action Plan (Appendix 3, Reference 3-3), the Tribe groups management actions into conservation strategies and information transfer and processing.
• Conservation strategies focus on altering biological conditions to enhance ecosystem services. This is accomplished through inventory and monitoring and management and research efforts.
2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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