2025 Washington State Wildlife Action Plan (DRAFT for USFWS Review)

The 2025 State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) for Washington provides comprehensive information and recommendations for conserving the state's fish and wildlife and the natural habitats and ecosystems on which they depend.

The Washington SWAP is part of a nationwide effort by all 50 states and five U.S. territories to develop conservation action plans and participate in the State and Tribal Wildlife Grants (SWG) Program. The purpose of the SWG Program is to support state actions that broadly benefit wildlife and habitats, but particularly "Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN)" as identified by each state.

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service requires these plans be updated every 10 years to remain eligible for State Wildlife Grants funding. Washington's first plan was completed in 2005 and was called the Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy (CWCS). The CWCS was revised and published as the 2015 State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP).

The SWAP provides a snapshot of the status of the state's wildlife and habitats, identifies key problems they face, and outlines the actions needed to conserve them over the long term. A guiding principle is to identify actions needed to conserve wildlife and their habitats before species become too rare and restoration efforts too costly. Our intent is that the SWAP serves to inform conservation priorities and guide conservation actions statewide. It is envisioned that any government entity and conservation partner that has an interest in wildlife and habitat conservation will be able to use the information presented in the SWAP and implement actions that align with their own conservation mission and goals. To that end, the SWAP provides tools and informational resources to support collaborative conservation initiatives across a range of organizations and entities.