2025 SWAP Update | Outdoor Alabama

2025 Update of Alabama's State Wildlife Action Plan

State Wildlife Action Plans (SWAP) are comprehensive state conservation plans that serve as a roadmap for conserving aquatic and wildlife species. Congress requires each state and territory to submit a reviewed and revised SWAP at least every 10 years in order to qualify for State Wildlife Grant (SWG) funding. This is the only federal program with the explicit goal of preventing endangered species listings through research and management. Wildlife action plans identify a variety of actions aimed at preventing wildlife from declining to the point of becoming endangered, and outline the steps that are needed to conserve wildlife and habitat before they become rarer and more costly to protect.

Alabama's State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) will be revised and submitted by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources' (ADCNR) Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for review by September 2025. Information and updates regarding the 2025 Alabama SWAP revision will be posted on this page.

The public is invited to submit comments or questions about Alabama’s SWAP update during the public comment period that runs until July 1, 2025. Contact information is available below.

SWAP Must Address the Following Elements

Distribution and abundance of wildlife species
Locations and condition of key habitats and community types
Wildlife and habitat threats
Conservation actions to address these threats
Plans for monitoring species, habitats and the effectiveness of conservation actions
Plans for review and adaptive management of the strategy
Plans to coordinate strategy development, implementation, and review with Federal, state, local agencies and Indian tribes
Opportunities for broad public participation in plan development and implementation

SGCN Definitions

Below are the definitions used to rank Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) and critical habitats in Alabama's SWAP.

P1

Priority 1/Highest Conservation Concern: Taxa critically imperiled and at risk of extinction/extirpation because of extreme rarity, restricted distribution, decreasing population trend/population viability problems, and specialized habitat needs/habitat vulnerability due to natural/human-caused factors. Immediate research and/or conservation action required.

P2

Priority 2/High Conservation Concern: Taxa imperiled because of three of four of the following: rarity; very limited, disjunct, or peripheral distribution; decreasing population trend/population viability problems; specialized habitat needs/habitat vulnerability due to natural/human-caused factors. Timely research and/or conservation action needed.

P3

Priority 3/Moderate Conservation Concern: Taxa with conservation problems because of insufficient data or because of two of four of the following: small populations; limited, disjunct, or peripheral distribution; decreasing population trend/population viability problems; or specialized habitat needs/habitat vulnerability. Research and/or conservation action recommended.

EX

Extirpated: Taxa that historically occurred in Alabama, but are now absent; may be rediscovered in the state, or be reintroduced from populations existing outside the state.

EXCAU

Extirpated/Conservation Action Underway: Taxa that historically occurred in Alabama, were absent for a period of time, and currently are being reintroduced, or have a plan for being reintroduced, into the state from populations outside the state.

Extinct

Extinct: Taxa that historically occurred in Alabama, but are no longer alive anywhere within their former distribution

Non SGCN

Non Species of Greatest Conservation Need: Taxa that are demonstrably secure, with size of population stable/increasing, geographical distribution stable/expanding, population trend/population viability stable/increasing, relatively limited habitat vulnerability due to natural/human caused factors, or an unusual visitor to the state. No specific monitoring or conservation action needed.