California’s State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP 2025) was released on October 1, 2025. SWAP 2025 was developed with guidance from 100’s of subject experts within CDFW and input from conservation partners, Tribes, and the public. SWAP revisions and updates are required every 10 years to maintain eligibility for federal State Wildlife Grant funding. The last revision was in 2015 (see Archive page).
As part of the revision process, the SWAP Team held two public webinars, four conservation partner meetings, and two inter-Tribal listening sessions. In conjunction with these meetings, a public draft review generated over 160 comments from nearly 20 organizations, Tribes, and the public. Please find a session recording below.
SWAP 2025
Species of Greatest Conservation Need Lists
The Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) criteria are described in Chapter 2, Section 2.4. The SGCN lists (tables) are also located in Appendix C. These tables show the legal status of each taxon at the time this document was produced. For the most current status, refer to the CDFW Special Animals List (PDF) and Special Vascular Plants, Bryophytes, and Lichens List (PDF). Additional information, including the tables' legend, plus cross reference tables to SWAP conservation targets (and others) are provided in Appendix C.
Presentation recording: 2025 update of CDFW's Wildlife Action Plan. Slide Deck (PDF)