A new wildlife action plan released by NC Wildlife Resources Commission gives a comprehensive look at North Carolina’s habitat and species and the actions needed to protect them, including a detailed list of birds and their conservation needs. 

The plan is updated every ten years and will play a foundational role in guiding the state’s conservation efforts over the next decade. Once the plan is approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, it also opens access to federal funding for conservation work.  

This new draft plan is thorough and science-based, and includes growing and emerging threats to wildlife that overlap with Audubon’s priorities for birds and our Flight Plan milestones, from urbanization and farmland loss to climate change. Audubon staff were involved in the assessment process for determining final species inclusion in the plan.  

Specifically, we are supportive of the following highlights:  

• Detailed list of birds and their specific needs, highlighting opportunities for agencies and partners to take action   

• Highlights the growing threat that urbanization poses to many species   

• Acknowledges the loss of functional agricultural land and the species that depend on those habitats  

• Stays the course on climate change, using the latest data to highlight impacts and much-needed mitigation actions  

• Includes plant species for the first time  

• Highlights the importance of land conservation and additional funding