The southern U.S. is the home of some of the country’s most distinctive species, several of which are classified as endangered, threatened, or proposed for classification.
Forty-nine of these species depend on habitats like those found in NativState projects for survival.
Threats to Endangered Species in the South
Several factors contribute to the decline of species in this region. Some of the most significant threats include:
- Habitat loss and fragmentation: Expanding agricultural development and timber harvests shrink or fragment natural habitats of many species.
When animals are forced into smaller, isolated pockets of land, it becomes harder for them to find food, mates, or migrate. - Changes in weather: Frequent and severe storms and prolonged droughts disrupt ecosystems and make survival more difficult for many species.
- Pollution: Runoff from agriculture, industrial waste, and residential development can pollute waterways and soil, harming aquatic and terrestrial species alike.
Managing a Delicate Balance
When one species is threatened or endangered, its entire ecosystem is at risk. A keystone species, such as the red-cockaded woodpecker, is an animal or plant that is relied upon by other species by establishing a cascade of resources necessary for their survival.
Nesting only in living pine trees within mature pine forests, the red-cockaded woodpecker provides nesting sites for other species of birds and bats in the cavities they create. NativState’s S & J Taylor Forest Project conserves these pine forests, allowing them to mature into suitable habitat for red-cockaded woodpeckers.
An indicator species is an early warning system. It is a plant or animal that indicates the health of an ecosystem by its presence or abundance. The yellowcheek darter, living in NativState’s Mixed Upland Forests of the Ozarks and Ouachita Mountains project, is one such endangered species.
The species’ limited population and distribution make the yellowcheek darter a significantly vulnerable species. It lives exclusively in the clear, fast-moving streams and rivers in just four forks of the Little Red River basin. Habitat loss and degradation caused by sedimentation and water pollution have shrunk this species’ range and fragmented populations.
NativState’s Mixed Upland Forests of the Ozarks & Ouachita Mountains project protects water quality within the limited range of the yellowcheek darter by improving soil health and tree root systems. Healthy root systems help filter pollutants and slow water flow which decreases soil erosion and decreases water turbidity.
Success Story: The Black Bear
Although they are more commonly seen in recent years, the American black bear was once hunted nearly into extinction in the South. The Louisiana black bear, a subspecies, was classified as threatened under the U.S. Endangered Species Act from 1992–2016. Overhunting and widespread deforestation from timber harvests and agriculture drastically reduced the population and distribution of the Louisiana black bear.
In Arkansas alone, there were approximately 50,000 black bears in the 1800s. By the 1930s, numbers had plummeted to between 25 and 50 bears in the White River Refuge. Black bears were reintroduced in Arkansas between 1958 and 1968. Concerted conservation efforts, including wildlife management plans and habitat restoration and conservation have resulted in a population of around 7,000 bears in Arkansas today.
Black bears require large areas of contiguous forestland to survive. NativState projects in the Ozark and Ouachita mountains offer prime bear habitat. However, intensive agriculture and timber harvesting along the Mississippi River continue to fragment potential habitat. Projects like recently verified ACR 848 Bottomlands of Louisiana are helping with the black bear’s return to this area. NativState is actively bringing to market high-quality nature-based removal and reduction carbon credits from this project.
NativState’s Role: Giving Landowners Another Option
Forest carbon development is one part turning the tide for endangered species like the yellowcheek darter and red-cockaded woodpecker. Our foresters and wildlife biologists assess the biodiversity of each property, identify threatened and endangered species and critical habitat, and provide conservation actions within the landowner’s Forest Management Plan.
Purchasing NativState’s high-quality forest carbon credits helps landowners do the right thing for the many species that rely on forestland for survival. Without programs like ours, these small landowners’ options to monetize their land would be limited to timber harvesting alone.
Our landowner partners express their desires to protect the wildlife on their land and support their forests’ biodiversity. Your investment in NativState’s projects gives small landowners an opportunity to protect a diverse web of threatened and endangered species.
Species in NativState Project Areas
Among the 49 species within NativState projects that are classified as threatened or endangered, or proposed for classification, the following are considered critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN):
