Regional Species of Greatest Conservation Need (RSGCN) are species state biologists have identified as being of conservation concern (very high, high, or moderate) and which have a significant portion of the population occurring in the northeastern states (generally >50%).
The Northeast Fish and Wildlife Diversity Technical Committee has been reviewing a list representing their shared conservation priorities since the 1990's and published their first list in 1999. In 2007, the states resolved to pool 4% of their State Wildlife Grant funds to create the Regional Conservation Needs Grant Program, administered by WMI. The grant program has funded a wide range of projects including the first climate vulnerability assessments for the region, habitat classification systems and assessments, conservation status assessments for odonates and Northern
Diamondback Terrapins, and the work presented on this website, just to name a few. In Summer 2020, a symposium was presented in the virtual North American Congress for Conservation Biology Conference. (Click here to view the presentations.)
We encourage all conservation partners to reference the RSGCN list and work with us to secure these species. The RSGCN list presented on this website allows you to filter and sort to suit your needs and download the results. You can also learn about the SWAP database, which now includes detailed information about RSGCN.
The northeast region's wildlife diversity programs have a strong commitment to collaboration and believe that together we can reverse declining trends by addressing stressors on these Regional Species of Greatest Conservation Need.