The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service formally approves Delaware’s 2025 Wildlife Action Plan.
DNREC’s Division of Fish and Wildlife submitted the plan last fall for federal review and revision. It will guide conservation efforts for the state’s wildlife and their habits through 2035.
"We have to assemble a plan that contains eight different elements,” said Anthony Gonzon with DNREC’s Division of Fish and Wildlife. “Those elements, most important of which are identifying what our species of greatest conservation need are in Delaware. So those species that are at greatest risk within our state, the habitats that support those species, and then going through and identifying all the threats that could potentially impact them, whether we think it's minor or major."
Gonzon notes they also have to show how to mitigate those threats and help the species persist for decades to come.
The 2025 revision includes efforts to make the plan more accessible online with public access to a searchable database and maps of important habitats.
Gonzon says the state added plants to the list in this plan.
"This year we have 1,019 species of greatest conservation need and of those. If I can pull out my numbers, we have 326 plant species that were added to reach that 1,019 species," said Gonzon.
The list also categorizes the species into Tier 1, Tier 2 or Tier 3 to reflect the urgency and level of conservation needed.
