Chapter 6 Conservation Goals and Priorities
at least one animal or plant SGCN observed. Roughly 4.1 million acres (46%) of the SGCN cores are currently in a protected status according to the Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US). It should be noted these calculations include cores that extend beyond the North Carolina boundary to adjacent states (SECAS 2025) . 6.3.1.2.2 COA Tiers The 2025 COAs identified in this analysis span 16.8 million acres, covering about 52% of the state’s inland landscapes (i.e. the non-estuarine or marine portion of the state). Roughly 4.5 million acres (27%) of the COAs are already protected, according to the PAD-US data. Additionally, the Southeast Conservation Blueprint identifies 94% of the COAs as corresponding to southeast regional priorities captured in the Blueprint, thereby supporting a connected network of lands and waters. The COAs also capture 90% of the above average areas for climate resilience of inland landscapes. The results of the 2025 COA analysis are classified into three tiers of priority based on the known presence of SGCN and established aquatic focus areas (e.g., 2015 riparian COAs), ecological connectivity priorities from the Blueprint, and regional conservation priorities 2025 SECAS Blueprint. In the top tier, this analysis calculates the number of unique plant and animal SGCN observed within cores of intact natural habitat in North Carolina.
COA Tier
Acres
Tier 1: Cores with at least 1 observed SGCN + river buffers from 2015 NC SWAP Tier 2: Southeast Blueprint 2024 hubs and corridors not already captured above Tier 3: Additional Southeast Blueprint 2024 priorities not already captured above
3,604,369
5,079,656
8,074,680
The NCWRC is working to create a website-based map viewer for the 2025 COAs that will be embedded within the NCWRC’s website (www.ncwildlife.gov). A media announcement and public outreach efforts will be used to announce availability of the data once it is successfully deployed on the NCWRC website.
6 - 12
2025 NC Wildlife Action Plan
Made with FlippingBook Ebook Creator