Enhancing Multistate Wildlife Conservation: Key Findings and Future Direction

Washington, DC, Sept. 17, 2024 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- A groundbreaking new study underscores the importance of coordinated efforts across state boundaries to conserve imperiled species. The study, a collaboration among NatureServe, the US Fish & Wildlife Service, and the National Wildlife Federation and published in the journal Conservation Science and Practice, provides a comprehensive, cross-border review of Species of Greatest Conservation Need as designated in the last round of State Wildlife Action Plans (SWAPs), and offers actionable recommendations for enhancing these efforts in the next SWAP revisions due to be completed over the next couple of years.

Understanding SWAPs and Their Impact

State Wildlife Action Plans have been pivotal in guiding conservation efforts in the United States since 2005. These plans, which include lists of Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN), outline strategies for protecting species and habitats within individual states. This recent analysis looks at the first revision SWAPs, which were completed around 2015, and highlights the significant strides made in multistate conservation.

Key Findings

1. Cross-Border Conservation Success: The study reveals that many states are already addressing a common set of vertebrate and invertebrate groups, including the most imperiled species from these groups. Importantly, states do not prioritize endemic species over non-endemic ones, ensuring that most imperiled species shared with neighboring states are included in conservation plans throughout their range in the US.
2. Regional Coordination: A coordinated effort across northeastern states resulted in a shared list of SGCNs in addition to their state-specific lists. Most regions of the U.S. have regional associations to facilitate multistate coordination of SGCNs. 
3. Variation in Taxa Inclusion: The study found significant variability in the number of taxa included in SGCN lists across states, with a 23-fold difference between the state with the fewest taxa (Montana with 47) and the state with the most taxa (Florida with 1,121). 
4. Variation in Imperilment Levels: Most SGCN taxa are at-risk in the states where they were listed; however, over half of all SGCN across all states are not considered globally at risk. This finding highlights the importance of regional coordination to prioritize and achieve landscape conservation objectives.
5. Underrepresented Taxonomic Groups: There are gaps in the inclusion of certain invertebrate groups—such as bees, freshwater shrimps, and aquatic insects—and plants in SGCN lists, calling out the need for more comprehensive coverage of these taxa in future revisions.
6. Conservation Status and Distribution Data: Access to accurate and up-to-date conservation status and distribution data is essential for developing effective SGCN lists. Improved data availability would support more consistent and coordinated conservation efforts across states.

Challenges and Recommendations

While the findings are encouraging, the study identifies several challenges to achieving efficient interstate coordination. These include differences in administrative procedures, biodiversity technology platforms, and taxonomic standards. To address these challenges, the study offers five key recommendations:

1. Improve Data Accessibility: Make foundational data on taxonomy, range-wide distribution, and conservation status readily available to state agencies to support regional species management.
2. Expand Taxonomic Coverage: Increase the inclusion of underrepresented taxa such as plants, snails, freshwater shrimps, and freshwater insects in SGCN lists.
3. Support Multiagency Collaboration: Foster collaboration among agencies to ensure comprehensive coverage of taxa and effective conservation actions.
4. Update Conservation Status Assessments: Keep assessments up to date to facilitate rapid responses to emerging conservation needs.
5. Secure Funding for Interstate Cooperation: Obtain additional funding for interstate conservation efforts without reducing state budgets for SGCN conservation.

Conclusion

The study highlights the importance of robust statewide plans that collectively reflect global and national conservation priorities while addressing local needs. By implementing the recommendations, future SWAP revisions can further enhance interstate coordination, ensuring the effective conservation of imperiled species across state boundaries and preventing the need for drastic conservation measures such as listing under the Endangered Species Act.

Quotes

"Species are blind to state boundaries and need to be managed rangewide," said Dr. Bruce Young, the corresponding author of the study. "Our findings demonstrate that shared conservation priorities are already in place for many species, and with improved coordination, we can achieve even greater conservation success."

“The designation of Species of Greatest Conservation Need is an important tool in the national conservation toolbox”, said lead author, Dr. Healy Hamilton. “This first-ever cross-border SGCN analysis reveals a strong foundation for shared biodiversity stewardship and underscores the need for accurate and comprehensive data on species taxonomy, distribution, and conservation status.”

“Since 2005, State Wildlife Action Plans have provided blueprints for biodiversity conservation in the United States,” said John Kanter, co-author of the study. These plans identify specific actions for recovering imperiled species and supporting healthy populations of others. Funding from Recovering America’s Wildlife Act, a bipartisan bill in the Senate, would invest $1.4 billion needed to enhance and implement these science-driven plans.”

About NatureServe

For 50 years, NatureServe has been the authoritative source for biodiversity data throughout North America. To protect threatened biodiversity, NatureServe works with over 60 organizations and 1,000+ conservation scientists in the U.S. and Canada to collect, analyze, and deliver standardized biodiversity information, providing comprehensive spatial data to meet both regulatory and conservation needs. NatureServe and its network partners develop and manage data for over 100,000 species and ecosystems, answering fundamental questions about what exists, where it is found, and how it is doing. Visit www.natureserve.org to learn more.

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