Many people value the Southern Blue Ridge Escarpment for its panoramic views, thundering waterfalls, and beautiful fall colors. However, few realize how extraordinary the SBRE is from an ecological standpoint. The region is like no other in the world; its steep slopes and humid climactic conditions sustain plants whose closest ancestors are from as far north as Canada and as far south as Central America! 
This precious area is certainly worth protecting – and now, when many conservation threats are putting pressure on the ecosystems, it is important to know which sections of the SBRE are most biodiverse.  Using a tool called “Conservation Action Planning”, The Nature Conservancy has identified six specific natural communities as “conservation targets.” These high-priority areas, listed and described below, are considered vital to the escarpment’s health, and contribute to the uniqueness and beauty of the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains.

Gorges
Rock Formations
Wetlands
Forests
Headwaters

Gorge Assemblages
Deep, lush forests and stream valleys along the escarpment host an ecosystem found nowhere else in the world.  Characterized by moderate climate, high humidity, high rainfall, and landforms with rich soils or exposed rock, the gorges foster a wide variety of natural forest and floodplain communities.  The forest types include Canadian hemlock forests, rich cove forests, and montane alluvial forests.  Numerous rare species inhabit these gorge communities, and the system is considered “G1” – very rare, on a global scale.  Within this “conservation target,” the following species are of particular interest:

• Oconee bell (Shortia glacifolia)
• Faded trillium (Trillium discolor)
• Persistent trillium (Trillium persistens)
• Green salamander (Aneides aeneus)
• Many ferns and mosses (including Hymenophyllum tunbrigense, H. tayloriae, Trichomanes petersii, Gemnoderma lineare, Gramatis nimbata)

Rock Outcrops, Cliffs, and Domes
The rocky outcrops, jagged cliffs, and bare domes scattered throughout the SBRE provide more then just dramatic scenery.  The small-scale natural communities occurring on such unique formations are globally rare (G2) systems that host several species of interest, including:

• Divided-leaf groundsel (Packera millefolia)
• White irisette (Sisrinchium dichotomum)
• Peregrine falcon (Falco peregrinus)
• Green salamander (Aneides aeneus)
• Wood rat (Neotama floridiana)
• Small-footed bat (Myotis leibii)

Wetlands
Though you might not expect to find wetlands in the mountains, a diverse array of small-scale wetland communities occur in the SBRE.  From open/sparse woodland Southern Appalachian bogs and cataract bogs to seepage slopes and Southern Blue Ridge spray cliffs, these communities contribute several rare species to the diversity of the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains: 

• Mountain sweet pitcher plant (Sarracenia jonesii), a Federal Endangered Species
• Swamp pink (Helonias bullata), a Federal Threatened Species
• Bog rose (Arethusa bulbosa), usually confined to New York, New Jersey, and Canada

Forests
As you travel from the lower elevations of the SBRE to higher, dryer ridges, you pass through an ever-changing matrix of forest types. The steep changes in elevation and unusually moist conditions allow a variety of neo-tropical migrant bird, reptile, and mammal species to thrive far north of their original habitat. The shifting forest communities help insure continued biodiversity, in addition to being extremely diverse in and of themselves. Forest classifications include (from high to low elevation):

• Table mountain/pitch pine forests
• Carolina hemlock forests
• High elevation xeric oak forests
• Tulip popular forests
• White pine forests
• Canadian Hemlock forests
• Rich cove forests

The small whorled pogonia (Isotria medeoloides), a Federal Threatened Species, also occurs within the forest matrix.
In addition to those forests within the SBRE, the forest corridors connecting low, unprotected elevations with protected escarpment forest communities are very important to conservation. The Chattooga, Saluda and Green River drainages and the Escarpment Gorges all contain forests that harbor the following species of interest:

• Southern blue monkshood (Aconitum uncinatum)
• Soft agrimony (Agrimonia pubescens)
• Mountain false indigo (Amorpha glabra)
• Tarheel sedge (Carex austrocaroliniana)
• Graceful sedge (Carox gracillima)
• Stoneroot (Collinsonia verticillata)
• Green salamander (Aneides aeneaus)
• Timber rattlesnake (Crotalus horridus)

Headwaters
The headwaters of the Green, Saluda and Chattooga Rivers are widely recognized as being priority watersheds for freshwater conservation action in the South Atlantic Aquatic Region. In addition to earlier research (Smith et. al. 2002), a 2002 assessment by The Nature Conservancy confirmed the importance of these high quality aquatic systems. While most of the species of concern are affected by these watersheds rather than dwelling within them, the water shrew (Sorex palustris) is a species of interest within this target.

Conservation Action Planning (CAP)
These conservation targets were identified using The Nature Conservancy’s CAP (Conservation Action Planning) system. CAP uses input from local experts, academic literature, and computer mapping analysis to identify the most important ecological areas in a particular region. Through CAP, conservationists can identify areas of interest and determine what land and water are needed to conserve selected species, communities, and landscapes. The SBRE CAP targets ecological processes and viable populations of native flora and fauna that are considered vital to the escarpment’s biodiversity, and contribute to the uniqueness and beauty of the Southern Blue Ridge Mountains.