State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP)
An Approach to Conserve At-Risk Fish and Wildlife Species
A wildlife action plan serves as a state's guiding document for managing and conserving species and habitats before they become too rare or costly to restore. Congress charged states and territories to develop a State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) in 2002, and the New York Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy was completed in 2005. These wildlife plans are updated every 10 years, and the 2015 update is the State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP).
Collectively, these plans assess the health of a state's wildlife and habitats, identify the problems they face and outline the actions that are needed to conserve them over the long term. For the 2015 update, DEC staff and conservation partners have completed assessments for 597 species, consolidating information on life history, conservation status, population trends, and threats to these species. This information was used to revise the Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) list. The New York SWAP, SGCN list, and technical details on species and habitats are available on this page.
New York's Wildlife Action Plan
~Photo Credit: USFWS
2015 Plan Update
Below are links to the Final Draft 2015 New York State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) and the supporting species and habitat assessment.
The links below are available for downloading or viewing smaller sections of the full document.
- Extent and Conditions of Habitats for New York's Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) (PDF)
- Freshwater Habitats (PDF) (6MB)
- Marine and Estuarine Habitats (PDF)
- Terrestrial Habitats (PDF)
- Bibliography and Appendices (PDF)
Full Species Lists
- Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) list (PDF)
- Species of Potential Conservation Need (SPCN) list (PDF)
Species Assessments
- Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) High Priority
- Amphibians (PDF)
- Bees (PDF)
- Beetles (PDF)
- Birds (PDF)
- Butterflies and Moths (PDF)
- Crustaceans (PDF)
- Dragonflies and Damselflies (PDF)
- Freshwater Fish (PDF)
- Freshwater Mollusks (PDF)
- Mammals (PDF)
- Marine Fish (PDF)
- Marine Mollusks (PDF)
- Mayflies (PDF)
- Meristomata (PDF)
- Reptiles (PDF)
- Sea Turtles (PDF)
- Sharks, Skates and Rays (PDF)
- Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises (PDF)
- Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN)
- Amphibians (PDF)
- Birds (PDF)
- Butterflies and Moths (PDF)
- Crustaceans (PDF)
- Dragonflies and Damselflies (PDF)
- Freshwater Fish (PDF)
- Freshwater Mollusks (PDF)
- Mammals (PDF)
- Marine Fish (PDF)
- Marine Mollusks (PDF)
- Mayflies (PDF)
- Sharks, Skates and Rays (PDF)
- Stoneflies (PDF)
- Whales, Dolphins and Porpoises (PDF)
- Reptiles (PDF)
- Species of Potential Conservation Need (SPCN)
2005 Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy
New York's current State Wildlife Action Plan provides a framework for conserving and managing 537 "Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN)" and the habitats they depend on for survival. The full report can be found on the Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy (CWCS) Plan (PDF, 13.1 MB).
State Wildlife Grants (SWG) Program
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) State Wildlife Grants (SWG) Program initiated by Congress in 2001 provides states with federal funding to implement projects identified in state wildlife action plans. USFWS requires states to revise their wildlife action plans at least every 10 years in order to remain eligible for State Wildlife Grants (SWG) funding.
To find out how states are financed through the program and more, visit the USFWS State Wildlife Grants (SWG) Program (leaves DEC website).
More about State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP):
- Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy (CWCS) Plan - New York's existing State Wildlife Action Plan completed in 2005, which provides guidance on managing and conserving species of greatest conservation need.
