Species of Greatest Conservation Need

This page outlines how the following element was identified:

Element 1: information on the distribution and abundance of species of wildlife, including low and declining populations as each State fish and wildlife agency deems appropriate, that are indicative of the diversity and health of the State’s Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN).

Overview

Congress identified the eight required elements to be addressed in the State Wildlife Action Plans (SWAP), which requires an update every 10 years. Element #1 is: information on the distribution and abundance of species of wildlife, including low and declining populations as each State fish and wildlife agency deems appropriate, that are indicative of the diversity and health of the State’s Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN). The SWAP must identify and focus on the recovery and conservation of SGCNs yet address the full array of wildlife and wildlife-related issues.

A key step in the SWAP revision process is reviewing the species list. In the 2015 North Dakota (ND) SWAP, the list was referred to as Species of Conservation Priority (SCP) and was divided into 3 different levels of priority. In the 2025 ND SWAP, the principal list will be referred to as Species of Greatest Conservation Need or SGCN and no levels will be assigned. A second list has been developed and will be referred to as Species of Greatest Information Need or SGIN. While SGCNs are known to be at-risk or in decline, SGINs face uncertainty in terms of their status, range, or level of risk.

Guidance and definitions for identifying the species on the list:

• N.D.C.C. § 20.1-01-02 (59). “Wildlife” means any member of the animal kingdom including any mammal, fish, bird (including any migratory, nonmigratory, or endangered bird for which protection is also afforded by treaty or other international agreement), amphibian, reptile, mollusk, crustacean, or other invertebrate . . . Wildlife does not include domestic animals as defined by section 36-01-00.1 or birds or animals held in private ownership.
• The term “species” includes taxonomic species as well as selected subspecies. If taxonomy is uncertain or scientific knowledge does not exist to identify to species level, an assemblage or species group may be used.
• Species must be fauna, not flora, and may include aquatic species and invertebrates. States have the option of choosing which taxa to include.
• The list may include both hunted and non-hunted species. States have the option of whether to include game species on the list.
• The list may include federally threatened or endangered species but is not mandatory. In previous ND SWAPS, all federally listed species were included. For the 2025 species list revision, federally listed species that are not known to occur, or occur infrequently, may be omitted, or moved to the SGIN list.
• The list is subject to change as new information becomes available. If it is determined that a species is at high or imminent risk, it may be added to the SGCN list prior to the 2035 revision.

List Revision Process

A team of four North Dakota Game and Fish Department Conservation Biologists led the review and development of the 2025 list. The following taxonomic groups were considered: birds, mammals, reptiles, amphibians, fish, terrestrial invertebrates, and aquatic invertebrates. The 2025 list includes a more thorough assessment of terrestrial and aquatic invertebrates compared to previous SWAP efforts. For comparison, the 2015 list only included invertebrates listed as federally threatened or endangered, or under review for listing. Migratory and wintering birds were also evaluated for the 2025 list, whereas previous efforts concentrated mainly on birds that nest in the state.

First, Department staff compiled the information available for species that may be at-risk or declining. For some taxa, such as birds, a tremendous amount of data and expert identified lists of species of concern are available. For many other species evaluated, there is a significant lack of data or even knowledge regarding the presence or distribution of the species in the state. Sources consulted included but was not limited to regional, national, or global watch lists, federal lists, international lists such as COSEWIC, NatureServe, iNaturalist, trend data such as Breeding Bird Survey, or data collected from State Wildlife Grant projects or other recent publications and research.

In January 2023, a preliminary list of potential species was shared internally with all Department staff for their review and feedback. The draft list was also sent to a broad group of partners and experts for review and feedback. The proposed revisions were divided into two tables: 1) species from the 2015 list and the Department’s proposed actions for those species, and 2) species that were not on the 2015 list but have been identified as at-risk, declining, or priority species from other efforts or data sources. The proposed actions were: 1) keep (species is on 2015 list, retain on 2025 list); 2) add (add species to 2025 list); 3 remove (species is on 2015 list, do not include on 2025 list); or 4) undetermined (species evaluated but needs further review before making determination to add or exclude from list). After gathering insights from reviewers and engaging in discussions with other states about their strategies for the SGCN list, the Department decided to separate the list into two distinct groups: SGCNs and SGINs. In late 2023 and early 2024, expert focus groups based on taxa were established. There were differing opinions on whether to add or remove a species from the list and the smaller focus groups helped the Department make those determinations, including if the species should be categorized as an SGCN or SGIN. The draft 2025 SGCN and SGIN list was completed in July 2024 and made available on the Department’s website (gf.nd.gov).

2025 SGCN and SGIN Criteria/Definitions

SGCN includes species which are one or more of the following:

1. Regionally or globally imperiled.
2. At-risk or experiencing declines either regionally or globally and North Dakota represents an important portion of their remaining range.
3. At-risk based on expert review or recent regional or global assessments.

SGIN includes species which are one or more of the following:

4. Potentially vulnerable but current scientific knowledge and expert understanding is lacking.
5. Potentially stable in North Dakota but may be experiencing declines in a substantial portion of their range.
6. Potentially stable but uncertainty about life history traits may make them at-risk.
7. Declining regionally or globally but uncertainty regarding the significance of North Dakota to its survival.

Summary of Changes

Table 1. Total number of species by taxa included on the 2025 list compared to the 2015 list.

The following species were removed from the 2015 list because the species has recovered, or the best available information indicates the species is not at-risk or declining.

Table 2. Species removed from 2015 list.

Taxonomic name changes from 2015 to 2025:

• McCown’s Longspur to Thick-billed Longspur