Natural Areas

The Natural Heritage natural areas (nhna) shapefile identifies terrestrial and aquatic sites that are of special biodiversity significance. A natural area's significance may be due to the presence of rare species, exemplary natural communities, or important animal assemblages. These conservation targets are referred to collectively as "elements" of biodiversity. The boundaries are drawn by North Carolina Natural Heritage Program (NCNHP) staff, based on field surveys conducted by NCNHP staff and other professional biologists. Conditions on the ground may have changed since the boundaries were drawn, and areas outside of boundaries do not necessarily fail to qualify for natural area status; they simply may not have been surveyed. Thus, the boundaries are considered approximate. The effects of a project on a natural area depend on the nature of the species or communities it contains and on the nature of the action being considered. Because the data can become outdated as conditions on the ground change, the North Carolina Natural Heritage Program should be consulted and field surveys should be conducted to verify conditions, before using the data in making land-use decisions. Please use the following format when acknowledging products derived from this data set: North Carolina Natural Heritage Program. 2019. Biotics Database. Division of Land and Water Stewardship. Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, Raleigh, North Carolina. While efforts have been made to ensure that these data are accurate and reliable, the North Carolina Natural Heritage Program cannot assume liability for any damages or misrepresentation caused by any inaccuracies in the data.