Lists of species of greatest conservation need (SGCN) are powerful tools for revealing shared conservation priorities, enhancing collaboration, and securing additional conservation funding. In the northeastern US, such a list has served as a foundation for multi-state collaborations for conservation implementation.
States in the Southeastern Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (SEAFWA) region have identified 6,682 SGCN in their wildlife action plans. Collaboratively developing a more targeted list of regional SGCNs will reflect shared conservation values and stewardship responsibilities, encourage cross-state work on those priority species, and substantively contribute to realization of the Southeast Conservation Adaptation Strategy (SECAS) vision for cross-jurisdictional and future-oriented conservation. Criteria for developing such a list will reflect the specific needs in the Southeast, which is one of the most biologically diverse regions of the country. General criteria will likely include: regional stewardship responsibility; conservation concern; and biological/ecological significance.
The SEAFWA Wildlife Diversity Committee (WDC) is working with the SECAS-sponsored Vital Future Project and other partners to initiate a process for collaboratively developing a Regional SGCN list for the southeastern states.
