"At-risk" means there's still time
Hundreds of species in the Northeast Region are at risk of steep population declines and could require the protections of the Endangered Species Act. But “at-risk” means there’s still time.
Our region is leading a proactive conservation effort focusing on at-risk species that offer the greatest opportunity for success in the near term — this cross-programmatic collaborative approach leverages expertise, science, and resources to meet our mission of conserving fish, wildlife, and plants for the American people.
What's an at-risk species?
The Service's Policy Regarding Voluntary Prelisting Conservation Actions defines at-risk species as those that are not currently protected under the Endangered Species Act but are declining and are "at risk" of becoming candidates for listing. They may include, but are not limited to, state-listed species, species of greatest conservation need, or species that have been petitioned for listing. Learn more on our questions and answers page.
How we identified our priority at-risk species
In 2017, we selected a small group of species for which we felt we could make a difference and designated them as priority at-risk species for the region. These species were to be the focus of proactive conservation efforts that leveraged all the Service's biological programs. This approach proved to be effective, and so in 2019, we initiated a new inclusive prioritization process to expand the list of priority species, involving Service staff and state fish and wildlife agencies.
After assessing more than 1,000 Species of Greatest Conservation Need identified in State Wildlife Action Plans, along with species on the Service’s National Listing Workplan, we narrowed our focus to 11 priority conservation groups and 12 science-needs species. You can learn more about the prioritization process, the groups, and the species selected on our priority at-risk species page or in our species prioritization summary report.
