Hundreds of native Connecticut species including birds, fish, and mammals are listed among those with the greatest conservation need, according to the newly released 2025 Connecticut Wildlife Action Plan.
The plan, which has not yet been finalized, includes over 500 species listed as those with the greatest conservation needs, according to the state’s Department of Energy and Environmental Protection. The draft includes several new additions like the bog turtle, a species that is listed as critically imperiled in the state.
The updated list contains a total of 1,079 species having most important, very important and important conservation needs, officials said. These include 546 plant, 315 invertebrate, 45 fish, 17 amphibian, 18 reptile, 108 bird and 30 mammal species.
A draft of the plan was released last week and is open for public comment until July 27, according to officials. See the list here.
Since 2005, each state has been required by the federal government to create and submit an updated Wildlife Action Plan every 10 years. The plans serve as blueprints for wildlife conservation at the state level and include regional and national conservation goals, officials said.
During the public comment period, anyone can provide feedback on the list of species and habitats in need of conservation, the types of actions they would be most interested in taking in their community or any other part of the plan, DEEP said.
The plan helps identify “species of greatest conservation need” as well as their affiliated habitats and the issues they face. Conservation actions and research needs are then prioritized to conserve these species and habitats. By identifying these priorities, states can better direct conservation, policy and research.
When a state’s wildlife action plan gets approved by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, various organizations can apply for federal funding to implement conservation actions outlined in the plan, according to officials. An approved state action plan makes a state eligible for funding through the State Wildlife Grants Program.
“State Wildlife Action Plans are revised every 10 years and are an important means of securing funding for nature conservation. Connecticut’s Wildlife Action Plan engages many partner organizations and provides guidance and vision for protecting our wildlife and their habitats into the future,” DEEP’s Bureau of Natural Resources said in a statement.
The criteria for a species being listed as a Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) is that they also are state listed as threatened or endangered, vulnerable to threats based on their biological or habitat needs, low in abundance or limited in distribution, and currently showing declines in abundance or habitat, officials said.
In addition, the 2025 plan includes a list of State Assessment Priority Species. SAPS are species that officials say the state needs more information on to understand their status, trends, level of conservation concern and whether or not they should be classified as SGCN. Hundreds of species are now listed as State Assessment Priority Species.
DEEP officials said that species having a status of SGCN or SAPS does not provide a species with any legal protection but helps focus attention on vulnerable plants and animals, catalyze research on data-deficient species and guide conservation efforts. Ideally, strategic conservation efforts will help declining species recover before they meet criteria for being listed as threatened or endangered.
“A draft list of SGCN and SAPS for the 2025 revision was developed based on recommendations from CT’s top wildlife and plant experts. We collected public input on that draft list during the spring of 2024,” DEEP said in a statement.
Among the wildlife experts that helped form the list includes a group of researchers in the Department of Natural Resources and the Environment at the University of Connecticut, according to UConn Today. The UConn team is also developing a web-enabled plan with interactive resources for towns and community partners. Part of the work being done includes interactive maps and species profiles and is scheduled to be released later this year.
For more information on the Connecticut Wildlife Action Plan, go to portal.ct.gov/deep/wildlife/ct-wildlife-action-plan.
Stephen Underwood can be reached at sunderwood@courant.com