Office of Conservation & Community Affairs

Mountain Bog

North Carolina is home to approximately 5,700 species of plants, 990 species of vertebrates and more than 10,000 species of invertebrates. The Natural Heritage Program documents the status and distribution of the rarest plants and animals by working closely with experts from across the state and in cooperation with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the Plant Conservation Program of the N.C. Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services and the Nongame and Endangered Wildlife Program of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.

A classification of North Carolina natural communities has been developed that describes more than 100 natural community types ranging from the grassy balds in the mountains to the maritime forests of the barrier islands.

The Natural Heritage Program documents the best examples of these natural communities throughout the state. More than 1,500 natural areas of national, state and regional significance have been identified in both regional and county natural area inventories and additional significant natural areas are being discovered each year. These inventories result from the cooperative efforts of the Natural Heritage Program and a variety of agencies and local land trusts. The Natural Heritage Trust Fund provides much of the funding to support this work. In addition, the program depends upon a network of academicians, and private and agency biologists who share information collected through their own work and research. This information continues to strengthen the database and our understanding of the habitatneeds of rare species.


Eastern Fox Squirrel, Sciurus niger
The North Carolina Natural Heritage Program / 1601 Mail Service Center / Raleigh, NC 27699-1601