Chapter 5 Threats
5.8 Human Intrusions and Disturbance
Threats are from recreational activities, military exercises, civil unrest, and work and other outdoor activities (e.g., law enforcement, illegal activities, vandalism, species research) (Salafsky et al. 2008) . Human activities that may be considered non-consumptive of biological resources (those that do not take or harvest) can alter, destroy, and disturb natural habitats and species. Examples include people spending time in natural areas for recreational activities such as beach driving, driving ATVs, off-road vehicles, jet-skis, and snowmobiles, or riding mountain bikes; flying ultralight planes at low-elevations; dog-walking, bird-watching, hiking, and camping; and caving, spelunking, and rock-climbing (Salafsky et al. 2008) . Disturbance may also be related to military exercises or work activities that occur in natural environments. Training exercises can involve driving tanks and military equipment across the landscape; firing missiles onto bombing ranges; or other munitions or maneuver exercises in coastal areas. Species research often involves survey or monitoring activities that can disturb wildlife (Salafsky et al. 2008) . 5.8.1 Anticipated Impacts In one sense, human intrusion and disturbance are ubiquitous. Nearly all human interactions affect wildlife—either positively or negatively. Potential impacts from human disturbance are diverse and depend on numerous variables, such as the wildlife species involved and the duration, frequency, magnitude, timing, and type of intrusion and disturbance. Human intrusion and disturbance can be particularly impactful during breeding and nesting periods (Steven et al. 2011) . Impacts can be minimized by using common sense and effective management practices that limit intrusion and disturbance by restricting access on a spatial (e.g., buffer distances) or temporal (e.g., seasonal closures) basis. North Carolina is home to many military bases with extensive acreages available for wildlife. These habitats may be relatively natural or disturbed and portions of them are used for military training, including foot and vehicular traffic, artillery and small arms fire, explosives, airplane flights, ship movements, and acoustic disturbance. As stated above, the impacts of these activities depend on many factors. Some species may avoid using otherwise suitable habitat. Disturbance can reduce breeding success, foraging and feeding efficiency, and limit population size. While disturbance can drive some species away, the resulting open niche will often be used by another species that is tolerant of humans. A number of birds, most of which are nonnative, are able to tolerate or even take advantage of human disturbance, including Starlings, Canada Geese, Rock Doves (pigeon), and House Sparrows.
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2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
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