North Carolina Administrative Code › Title 15A - Environmental Quality › Chapter 07 - Coastal Management › Subchapter H - STATE GUIDELINES FOR AREAS OF ENVIRONMENTAL CONCERN › Section .0500 - NATURAL AND CULTURAL RESOURCE AREAS › Section 07H .0506 - COASTAL COMPLEX NATURAL AREAS

Current through Register Vol. 39, No. 2, July 15, 2024
(a)
				  Description. Coastal complex natural areas are defined as lands that support
				  native plant and animal communities and provide habitat qualities which have
				  remained essentially unchanged by human activity. Such areas may be either
				  significant components of coastal systems or especially notable habitat areas
				  of scientific, educational, or aesthetic value. They may be surrounded by
				  landscape that has been modified but does not drastically alter conditions
				  within the natural area. Such areas may have been altered by human activity
				  and/or subject to limited future modifications, e.g. the placement of dredge
				  spoil, if the CRC determines that the modifications benefit the plant or animal
				  habitat or enhance the biological, scientific or educational values which will
				  be protected by designation as an AEC.
(b) Significance. Coastal complex natural
				  areas function as key biological components of natural systems, as important
				  scientific and educational sites, or as valuable scenic or cultural resources.
				  Often these natural areas provide habitat suitable for threatened or endangered
				  species or support plant and animal communities representative of
				  pre-settlement conditions. These areas help provide a historical perspective to
				  changing natural habitats in the coastal area and together are important and
				  irreplaceable scientific and educational resources. The CRC may determine
				  significance of a natural area by consulting the Natural Heritage Priority List
				  maintained by the Natural Heritage Program within the Division of Parks and
				  Recreation. The CRC will establish a standing committee, composed of two or
				  more members of the CRC, one or more members of the CRAC, and three or more
				  members of the Natural Area Advisory Committee, to evaluate areas not included
				  in the Natural Heritage Priority List.
(c) Management Objectives. The management
				  objectives of this Rule are to protect the features of a designated coastal
				  complex natural area in order to safeguard its biological relationships,
				  educational and scientific values, and aesthetic qualities. Specific objectives
				  for each of these functions shall be related to the following policy statement
				  either singly or in combination:
(1) To
				  protect the natural conditions or the sites that function as key or unique
				  components of coastal systems. The interactions of various life forms are the
				  foremost concern and include sites that are necessary for the completion of
				  life cycles, areas that function as links to other wildlife areas (wildlife
				  corridors), and localities where the links between biological and physical
				  environments are most fragile.
(2)
				  To protect the identified scientific and educational values and to ensure that
				  the site will be accessible for related study purposes.
(3) To protect the values of the designated
				  coastal complex natural area as expressed by the local government and
				  citizenry. These values should be related to the educational and aesthetic
				  qualities of the feature.