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2006 (Figure 4 -2). In Wake County, urban areas <br />increased 16% from 1992 -2001 (Figure 4 -3, Table <br />4 -5). The impact of increased urban /developed areas <br />on species and ecosystems is not limited to the direct <br />effects of habitat loss associated with land use change. <br />Increases in impervious surface (Figure 4 -4), coupled <br />with reduced habitat connectivity as a result of urban <br />sprawl, pose additional risks to wildlife, particularly <br />in cases in which urban growth encroaches on prior- <br />ity conservation areas. <br />Table 4 -4. Land cover change in coastal regions of North Carolina covered by NOAAs Coastal Change <br />Analysis Program (CCAP) for the period 1996 -2006. Percentage of total area is indicated in parentheses. <br />Land Cover Class <br />Acres 1996 <br />Acres 2006 <br />Percent <br />change <br />High Intensity Developed <br />2,774 <br />(0.1 %) <br />3,088 <br />(0.2 %) <br />11.3% <br />Medium Intensity Developed <br />6,099 <br />(0.3 %) <br />6,868 <br />(0.4 %) <br />12.6% <br />Low Intensity Developed <br />34,764 <br />(1.9 %) <br />36,054 <br />(1.9 %) <br />3.7% <br />Developed Open Space <br />23,774 <br />(1.3 %) <br />25,413 <br />(1.4 %) <br />6.9% <br />Cultivated <br />388,630 <br />(20.8 %) <br />392,822 <br />(21.0 %) <br />1.1% <br />Pasture /Hay <br />33,089 <br />(1.8 %) <br />33,060 <br />(1.8 %) <br />-0.1% <br />Grassland <br />42,344 <br />(2.3 %) <br />67,610 <br />(3.6 %) <br />59.7% <br />Deciduous Forest <br />22,978 <br />(1.2 %) <br />23,549 <br />(1.3 %) <br />2.5% <br />Evergreen Forest <br />331,183 <br />(17.7 %) <br />270,661 <br />(14.5 %) <br />-18.3% <br />Mixed Forest <br />33,671 <br />(1.8 %) <br />34,066 <br />(1.8 %) <br />1.2% <br />Scrub /Shrub <br />138,602 <br />(7.4 %) <br />169,345 <br />(9.1 %) <br />22.2% <br />Palustrine Forested Wetland <br />338,939 <br />(18.2 %) <br />298,950 <br />(16.0 %) <br />-11.8% <br />Palustrine Scrub /Shrub Wetland <br />56,070 <br />(3.0 %) <br />79,816 <br />(4.3 %) <br />42.3% <br />Palustrine Emergent Wetland <br />17,773 <br />(1.0 %) <br />24,955 <br />(1.3 %) <br />40.4% <br />Estuarine Forested Wetland <br /><1 <br />16 <br />Estuarine Scrub /Shrub Wetland <br />1,109 <br />(0.1 %) <br />1,221 <br />(0.1 %) <br />10.1% <br />Estuarine Emergent Wetland <br />23,975 <br />(1.3 %) <br />24,102 <br />(1.3 %) <br />0.5% <br />Unconsolidated Shore <br />6,438 <br />(0.3 %) <br />5,995 <br />(0.3 %) <br />-6.9% <br />Bare Land <br />6,526 <br />(0.3 %) <br />9,772 <br />(0.5 %) <br />49.7% <br />Water <br />358,188 <br />(19.2 %) <br />359,561 <br />(19.3 %) <br />0.4% <br />Palustrine Aquatic Bed <br />10 <br />12 <br />* percentages less than 0. 1 % are not shown <br />