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The Eight Required Elements to include
in Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Plans
Congress identified the required elements of this
conservation strategy in the WCRP legislation and the USFWS adopted
those same elements to also apply to SWG required conservation
plans, so one document will satisfy both needs. The Plan-Strategy
must identify and be focused on the “species in greatest
need of conservation,” yet address the “full array
of wildlife” and wildlife-related issues. They must provide
and make use of:
- information on the distribution and abundance
of species of wildlife, including low and declining populations
as the State fish and wildlife agency deems appropriate, that
are indicative of the diversity and health of the State’s
wildlife; and
- descriptions of locations and relative condition
of key habitats and community types essential to conservation
of species identified in (1); and
- descriptions of problems which may adversely
affect species identified in (1) or their habitats, and priority
research and survey efforts needed to identify factors which
may assist in restoration and improved conservation of these
species and habitats; and
- descriptions of conservation actions determined
to be necessary to conserve the identified species and habitats
and priorities for implementing such actions; and
- proposed plans for monitoring species identified
in (1) and their habitats, for monitoring the effectiveness
of the conservation actions proposed in (4), and for adapting
these conservation actions to respond appropriately to new information
or changing conditions; and
- descriptions of procedures to review the Plan-Strategy
at intervals not to exceed ten years; and
- plans for coordinating, to the extent feasible,
the development, implementation, review, and revision of the
Plan-Strategy with Federal, State, and local agencies and Indian
tribes that manage significant land and water areas within the
State or administer programs that significantly affect the conservation
of identified species and habitats.
- Congress has affirmed through WCRP and SWG,
that broad public participation is an essential element of developing
and implementing these Plans-Strategies, the projects that are
carried out while these Plans-Strategies are developed, and
the Species in Greatest Need of Conservation that Congress has
indicated such programs and projects are intended to emphasize.
The International Association of Fish and Wildlife
Agencies has also issued guidance to the states in the form of
the document "Guiding
Principles (PDF)" for States to Consider in Developing
Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Plans and Wildlife Conservation
Strategies
Some of the recommendations are:
- develop broad public-private partnerships;
- share responsibility and credit among all partners;
- ensure that the plan-strategy is dynamic so
it can be updated as new information is identified;
- base the plan-strategy in the principles of
“best science”, “best management practices,
and “adaptive management”;
- address the broad range of wildlife and associated
habitats, with appropriate priority placed on those species
of greatest conservation need;
- coordinate with parallel efforts in other states
and countries;
- combine landscape/ecosystem/habitat-based approaches
and smaller-scale approaches for planning and implementation;
- make full and effective use of relevant existing
information;
- identify knowledge gaps;
- make the plan-strategy spatially explicit to
the extent possible;
- make the plan-strategy readily available to
the public in a variety of media; and
- ensure that the plan-strategy can be implemented,
i.e., that it is feasible and has sufficient resources.
The U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service has developed
a National Acceptance Team (NAAT) that will be responsible for
reviewing the strategies and deciding whether they are approved
or need revision. A reference
guide has been developed to assist the NAAT in reviewing the
plans. |
