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State Wildlife Action Plan

A plan for conserving California's wildlife resources while responding to environmental challenges

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New! SWAP 2015 Companion Plans

The nine companion plans associated with the final California State Wildlife Action Plan 2015 Update have been released .

As SWAP 2015 identifies many desirable conservation actions that are beyond CDFW’s jurisdiction, the Department determined that more-detailed coordination plans are needed in line with and beyond the recommendations presented in SWAP 2015. Called “companion plans,” these sector-specific plans were created collaboratively with partners and will be instrumental in implementing SWAP 2015.

Final SWAP 2015 Released

The California State Wildlife Action Plan 2015 Update (SWAP 2015) has been released.
link opens in new windowPress Release

2015 Update Process

As required every 10 years by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, CDFW recently updated the original 2005 plan. The update process allowed CDFW to integrate new information and leverage more funding. The objectives for the update included:

  • Create a vision for fish and wildlife conservation in California,
  • Provide an accounting of accomplishments,
  • Stratify analysis of impacts and stressors by ecoregions,
  • Incorporate climate change impacts and adaptation strategies,
  • Update species at risk, vulnerable species and species of greatest conservation need, and
  • Recommend conservation actions consistent with planning documents developed by other agencies.

The public was actively engaged through outreach, scoping and document review.

Conservation actions to achieve the goals of the Plan were developed using link opens in new windowOpen Standards for the Practice of Conservation.

Overview

California’s distinctive topography and climate have given rise to a remarkable diversity of habitats that support a multitude of plant and animal species. In fact, California has more species than any other state in the U.S. and also has the greatest number of species that occur nowhere else in the world. Many of the places where wildlife thrive are the same as those valued for recreation and other human activities. To ensure a sustainable future for wildlife – and the enjoyment of wildlife by generations to come – there is a need for a collaborative approach to conservation.

State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP)

The State Wildlife Action Plan examines the health of wildlife and prescribes actions to conserve wildlife and vital habitat before they become more rare and more costly to protect. The plan also promotes wildlife conservation while furthering responsible development and addressing the needs of a growing human population.