Public Comment period deadline in September 29
The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ (ADCNR) Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division (WFF) updates its State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) every 10 years to remain eligible for critical federal funding that supports the protection and recovery of Alabama’s endangered and threatened species. A draft of the 2025 State Wildlife Action Plan is available for public review at OutdoorAlabama.com. Comments may be submitted to Traci Wood by September 29.
Mandated by Congress, SWAP serves as a roadmap or guide for ADCNR and conservation partners across Alabama in identifying state species at risk and conservation needs for those imperiled species. The SWAP efforts include – prioritizing conservation actions for these at risk species such as research and surveys to better understand population status, habitat restoration to mitigate degraded habitats, or land acquisition to offset further habitat loss from land conversion, which is often the most effective method for ensuring permanent protection of imperiled species and their habitats.
This is the third update to the SWAP, following earlier versions in 2005 and 2015.
Species identified in current and past SWAPs include the Eastern Indigo Snake, Gopher Tortoise, Red-cockaded Woodpecker, Alabama Pearlshell mussel and several imperiled crayfish species. SWAP-related funding also supports the Alabama Aquatic Biodiversity Center, where numerous species of aquatic mollusks are studied and recovered, and WFF’s Rivers and Streams Program, which monitors and collects data on Alabama’s imperiled fish.
The SWAP covers a wide range of taxa groups (biological classifications), including birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish, gastropods, mussels, snails and crayfish. For the first time, ADCNR will include imperiled plants in the 2025 plan.
ADCNR promotes wise stewardship, management and enjoyment of Alabama’s natural resources through four divisions: Marine Resources, State Lands, State Parks, and Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries. Learn more at www.outdooralabama.com.
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