# Presentation: 359814

## State Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategies

| Dave ChadwickInternational Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies | NRCS National Environmental Policy Meeting/Fish and Wildlife WorkshopJune 16, 2005 |
| --- | --- |

## The Challenge

**Wildlife in decline across North America**
- Recovery is expensive and difficult:
-   $1.2 billion spent in FY 2003 on listed    species ($785 m for individual species)
-   About 90% to 105 species
-   Half to just 21 species
*** ******Recovery driven by crisis and funding sources, not necessarily by need or priorities.***

## Context

- State agencies responsible for *all* wildlife
- But current funding focuses conservation on game species (with great success).
- Teaming With Wildlife: 14 year effort by 3000+ groups working to increase funding for *all* wildlife.
- CARA → CARA-lite → ***State Wildlife Grants***

## Solutions

- CARA → CARA-lite →
***Wildlife Conservation and Restoration Program***
***State Wildlife Grants***

## State Wildlife Grants

*The Nation’s Core Program for *
*Preventing Wildlife from Becoming*
*Endangered in Every State.*

## State Wildlife Grants

**How It Works:**
- Allocated by formulato every state Population + Area
- Non-federal match 25% for planning50% for implementation
- Annual appropriations

## Comprehensive Wildlife Strategies

- Identify declining *species* and their *habitat needs*
- Assess *threats*
- Identify and prioritize *actions* and *research needs*

**A requirement for receiving SWG (and WCRP) funds:**

## Comprehensive Wildlife Strategies

**Outline how state plans to use SWG funding**

***Engage Partners in a Strategic Vision for Wildlife Conservation***

**Minimum Legal Requirement**

***The Opportunity***

## Comprehensive Wildlife Strategies

***Historic***
**and**
***Structured***
**but**
***Flexible***

## Eight Core Elements

**1.  Wildlife**
-  Distribution and abundance, indicative of diversity, focused on low and declining.

## Slide 11

## Eight Core Elements

**2. Habitats**
-  Location and condition of key habitat types and communities that are essential to priority wildlife.

## Slide 13

## Slide 14

## Slide 15

## Eight Core Elements

**3. Threats and ****     research needs**
-  ‘Problems’ affecting wildlife and habitats.
-  Research and survey efforts needed to identify key factors.

## Slide 17

## Slide 18

## Slide 19

## Slide 20

## Eight Core Elements

**4. Actions**
-  Actions proposed to conserve wildlife and habitats, and priorities for implementation.

## Statewide Recommendations

- Species/Fine Filter Actions

- Habitat/Coarse Filter Actions

## Habitat

**Target**
- Red-cockaded
- Woodpecker

**Habitat**
- Long Leaf Pine Woodlands

**Habitat**
-  Long Leaf Pine Woodlands

**Key Factor**
- Fire Regime

**Key Factor**
- Herbaceous

**Key Factor**
- Cluster Size

**Key Factor**
- Canopy Closure

**Key Factor**
- HW Midstory

**Indicator**
- Frequency

**Indicator**
- Seasonality

**Indicator**
- % herbaceous
- groundcover

**Indicator**
- Spatial extent

**Indicator**
- % Canopy
- (Basal area)

**Indicator**
- Absence of HW
- midstory

**Target**
- Red-cockaded
- Woodpecker

## Slide 24

## Eight Core Elements

**5. Monitoring**
-  Plans for monitoring species and habitats and the effectiveness of conservation actions.
-  Plans to adapt in response to new information, conditions.

## Habitat

**Target**
- Red-cockaded
- Woodpecker

**Habitat**
- Long Leaf Pine Woodlands

**Habitat**
-  Long Leaf Pine Woodlands

**Key Factor**
- Fire Regime

**Key Factor**
- Herbaceous

**Key Factor**
- Cluster Size

**Key Factor**
- Canopy Closure

**Key Factor**
- HW Midstory

**Indicator**
- Frequency

**Indicator**
- Seasonality

**Indicator**
- % herbaceous
- groundcover

**Indicator**
- Spatial extent

**Indicator**
- % Canopy
- (Basal area)

**Indicator**
- Absence of HW
- midstory

**Target**
- Red-cockaded
- Woodpecker

## Eight Core Elements

**6. Review and ****    Revision**
-  Plans for reviewing and revising the plan at least every ten years.

## Eight Core Elements

**7. Coordination**
- Coordinate development, implementation with other state, federal, local, tribal agencies.
**8. Broad Public Participation**

## Example #1 Minnesota

- 294 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (out of 1200 documented species)

## Minnesota

- Planning Scale: Ecological Subsection

## Minnesota

- Overall Planning Approach

## Minnesota

- Example: Bluffland Landscape Subsection

## Minnesota

- Example: Bluffland Landscape Subsection

- 155 Species of Conservation Need

## Minnesota

- Example: Bluffland Landscape Subsection

- “Forces Changing Habitat”

## Minnesota

- Example: Bluffland Landscape Subsection

- Conservation Priorities

| Over the next ten years, organizations and individuals concerned about SGCNs within the Blufflands should work together and focus their time, money, and expertise on the following conservation actions:  |  |
| --- | --- |
| Maintain these habitats where they occur:
  Oak savannas
  Prairies
  High-quality grasslands*
  Wetlands
  Upland deciduous hardwood forests
  Healthy streams 
  Native Plant Communities | Where possible, begin to restore thesehabitats:
  Oak savannas
  Prairies
  Wetlands
  Cliffs/bluffands
  Streams identified as impaired waters
 |

- Action in these priority habitats will positively impact approximately 97% of Species in Greatest Conservation Need within the Blufflands subsection.

## Minnesota

- Example: Bluffland Landscape Subsection

- Conservation Strategies in the Blufflands

## Example #2: Alabama

- 250 Species of Greatest Conservation Need

*Second Nongame Wildlife Conference (2002)*

## Alabama

- Planning Scale

*Statewide Actions*
*15 Priority Habitats*
*15 Priority River Basins*
*Species-focused Actions*
*Ecoregions*

## Alabama

- Example: Beach and Dune Habitat

- Description, Location, Condition

## Alabama

- Example: Beach and Dune Habitat

- 12 Species of Greatest Conservation Need

## Alabama

- Example: Beach and Dune Habitat

- “Problems” assessed by  taxa committees

## Alabama

- Example: Beach and Dune Habitat

- Conservation Actions: Highest and High Priority

## Example #3: Wyoming

- Defining Species Targets
- Over 800 species in WY
- Native species status (NSS) matrix
- Population status
- Habitat conditions
- Begin with NSS categories 1 – 4
- Review by WGFD and partners
- Draft list = 278 species

## Example #3: Wyoming

- Identifying Key Habitats
- 7 major ecoregions
- 52 ecological systems
- Example: Black Hills Ecoregion
-  10 ecological systems
-  0 – 14 SGCN / system

## Wyoming

**Ecological Systems Of Wyoming**

**Aquatic Systems Of Wyoming**

## Wyoming

**Habitat Quality v. Protection**

**Strategic Habitat Plan**

## Historic, Structured, Flexible

##  International Association, four regional associations, Fish and Wildlife Service regional offices

 Communication, coordination and support across boundaries

-  Communication, coordination and support across boundaries

- Working Across States

##  Deadline: October 2005

 Plans Reviewed byFish and Wildlife Service’s National Advisory Acceptance Team 

 Approval by early 2006

-  Plans Reviewed byFish and Wildlife Service’s *National Advisory Acceptance Team*
-  Approval by early 2006

- Strategy Approval

## Operational Planning: Strategies  Results

Coordination, Policy 

More Federal Funding

More State Funding

- Coordination, Policy
- More Federal Funding
- More State Funding

- What’s Next?

## Slide 51

## Comprehensive Wildlife Strategies

- For More Information:
- Teaming with Wildlife Web Site*http://www.teaming.com*
- State Wildlife Strategies Web Site*http://www.wildlifestrategies.org*