Assessment
Work Group
Members

A Carroll GIS and
University of Tennessee
Chattanooga

NC Department of
Natural Resources  
Natural Heritage Program

Western North Carolina
Alliance

Open Space Institute

Land-of-Sky Regional
Council

Southern Appalachian
Forest Coalition (SAFC)

Mars Hill College

Southern Appalachian  
Highlands Conservancy

NC Wildlife Federation

Blue Ridge Forever

NC Wildlife Resources
Commission

Friends of DuPont State
Forest

USDA Forest Service
The Wildlife Habitat and Biodiversity Assessment

To view the Wildlife Habitat and Biodiversity Assessment Fact Sheet, click here
To view the Wildlife Habitat and Biodiversity Assessment Map, click here
To view the Wildlife Habitat Map, click here
To view the Biodiversity Map, click here

The purpose of the Wildlife Habitat and Biodiversity Assessment is to identify lands that:
  •    Provide wildlife habitat,
  •    Support high levels of biodiversity, and
  •    Provide associated ecosystem services and functions.  

In addition to providing habitat for wildlife, intact natural systems identified in this
assessment also provide important ecological functions and services, including:
  • Filtering pollutants from air and water
  • Creating and maintaining fertile soil
  • Pollination of plants and seed distribution
  • Flood control
  • Carbon storage
  • Erosion control

The Wildlife Habitat and Biodiversity Assessment is the only LLC assessment that attempts to capture
ecological functions.  Because ecosystem functions are so complex and difficult to measure and track,
wildlife habitat is used as an indicator for natural areas that provide site specific ecological functions.

The primary building blocks of the any green infrastructure network are hubs (or core areas) and
linkages (or corridors).  The Wildlife Habitat and Biodiversity assessment identifies our region’s
largest (and highest quality) hubs and will serve as the primary backbone for the green infrastructure
network.

Input data for the Water Quality Assessment includes:
  • Aquatic Significant Natural Heritage Areas
  • Outstanding Resource Waters (ORW)
  • Native Trout Streams
  • Stream Bioclassification; Fish and Benthos -Good and Excellent
  • High Quality Waters (HQW)
  • Streams Buffers in Watersheds containing Federally Listed Threatened and Endangered Species
  • Priority Watersheds
  • 303(d) Impaired Streams
  • GAP Ecological Systems Layer
  • Significant Natural Heritage Areas (SNHA)
  • Natural Heritage Element Occurrences (EO)
  • Important Bird Areas (IBA)
  • Wetlands: National Wetlands Inventory (NWL)
  • The Nature Conservancy (TNC)  Portfolio Sites

Click below to access:   
A Project of Land-of-Sky Regional Council
339 New Leicester Hwy. Asheville, NC 28806
ph: (828) 251-6622     fax: (828) 251-6353
Linking Lands and Communities
in the Land-of-Sky Region

Creating a framework for conservation and development that    
respects community values and natural systems