State Wildlife Action Plans: Assessing Plans for Recovery Effectiveness

Abstract

To remain eligible for the State Wildlife Grant (SWG) Program operated by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, states, territories, and the District of Columbia must submit a State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP). This project compares SWAPs across thirteen U.S. states, with at least three states from each U.S Census region (South, West, Midwest, and Northeast). Specifically, it characterizes conservation threats and actions, tracks funding sources and expenditures, and documents implementation for common regional species of greatest conservation need (SGCN). Our main methodology involved reviewing SWAP documents for selected states and interviewing state wildlife officials for additional information. Based on our findings, we provided conservation recommendations for increasing future SWAP effectiveness.