For State Wildlife Action Plans
Chapter 3—Threats to Northeast Fish, Wildlife, and Their Habitats
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- Threats in the Northeast: Common Conservation Concerns
Chapter 3—Threats to Northeast Fish, Wildlife, and Their HabitatsThere are many challenges confronting fish and wildlife in the Northeast states. SWAPs are required to identify “problems which may adversely affect species of conservation need or their habitats.” These “problems” include threats that stress wildlife species and habitats, as well as management challenges such as deficiencies in data or resources for particular species or habitats. Human activities and natural processes that affect wildlife species and habitats in negative or detrimental ways are threats or stressors, while the effects of these threats on particular wildlife species or habitats are known as stress responses. Threats may be direct, affecting a species or habitat directly; or indirect, affecting a species or habitat through one or more intermediary actors or processes. Management challenges such as deficiencies in data or resources for particular species or habitats can also threaten wildlife and their habitats. Although these terms are often used interchangeably, the word “threat” is used in this document as an umbrella term referring to all aspects of the process by which human actions or natural events may jeopardize fish and wildlife species and their habitats, including all of the terms described above. This chapter summarizes information about key threats as identified through Regional Conservation Needs (RCN) collaborative efforts and projects. The next chapter then describes actions taken by the Northeast states through the RCN Grant Program collaboration to address these threats. More detailed accounts of the threats facing fish and wildlife species and their habitats in the Northeast states are available in the individual State Wildlife Action Plans (SWAPs). Please see Appendix 1 and the RCN Project Summary (Terwilliger Consulting, Inc. and NEFWDTC 2013) for additional information on any of the RCN Grant Program projects mentioned in this document. References to threats in this Chapter and in these companion documents follow the IUCN classification system which was selected by the Northeast States in the Northeast Lexicon (Crisfield and NEFWDTC 2013) and recommended by the National Best Practices for State Wildlife Action Plans (AFWA 2012). An excel spreadsheet providing a crosswalk between IUCN and TRACS action classification systems is provided as a reference at: http://rcngrants.org/content/northeast-regional-conservation-synthesis-state-wildlife-action-plan-revisions-0. Threats in the Northeast: Common Conservation ConcernsThere is no comprehensive assessment of threats across the Northeast region. However, numerous threats to fish, wildlife, and their habitats have been identified by the Northeast states as part of their individual Wildlife Action Plans. After the completion of the 2005 SWAPs, a survey was conducted to identify common threats listed by states (AFWA 2011). These top threats are listed in Table 3.1 in descending order. The 13 Northeast states and the District of Columbia identified 37 common, recurring threats to Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) or their habitats (AFWA unpublished and 2011). The most frequently mentioned threats included invasive species (mentioned by 100% of Northeast states) and industrial effluents; commercial and industrial areas; housing and urban development; and agricultural and forestry effluents (all of which were mentioned by at least 83% of Northeast states). Other important challenges mentioned by 50% or more of the Northeast states included: dams and water management; habitat shifting and alteration; recreational activities; roads and railroads; storms and flooding; temperature extremes; logging and wood harvesting; problematic native species; harvest or collection of animals; lack of information or data gaps; and droughts. In addition to the specific threats mentioned in the 2005 Wildlife Action Plans, recent work by the Northeast states has emphasized the importance of additional, emerging threats such as climate change, exurban developments, new invasive species, and disease. Table 3.1. Key Threats Identified by Northeastern States in Their Wildlife Action Plans (in descending order of listing recurrences).
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