Tomorrow's Habitat for the Wild and Rare
An Action Plan for Minnesota Wildlife Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy
Tomorrow's Habitat for the Wild and Rare is a strategic plan focused on managing Minnesota's populations of "species in greatest conservation need." Species in greatest conservation need (SGCN) are defined as native animals whose populations are rare, declining, or vulnerable to decline and are below levels desirable to ensure their long-term health and stability.
In Minnesota, 292 species meet the definition of species in greatest conservation need (SGCN). This set of SGCN includes mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fishes, insects, and mollusks, and represents about one-quarter of the nearly 1,200 animal species in Minnesota that were assessed for this project.
Tomorrow's Habitat is the product of a partnership of conservation organizations working together to ensure that these species populations are sustained for future generations. The Department of Natural Resources is leading this effort here in Minnesota, in partnership with wide range of conservation organizations and individuals, including the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, The Nature Conservancy, University of Minnesota, Audubon Minnesota, U.S. Geological Survey, Natural Resources Research Institute, and many others. This CWCS partnership encourages interested conservation stakeholders to use the information presented in the CWCS as a menu for action, to adopt and adapt to their unique interests and capabilities.
State Wildlife Grants Program
In 2001, the U.S. Congress created the State Wildlife Grants Program (SWG) that provided funding to manage species in greatest conservation need. One of the requirements to participate in this program was that all states and territories develop a wildlife action plan by October 2005. Tomorrow's Habitat for the Wild and Rare is our response to this congressional mandate. It helps guide how the SWG program operates in Minnesota, and provides direction for sustaining species in greatest conservation need into the future.
The Primary Challenge: Habitat Loss and Degradation
Tomorrow's Habitat identifies habitat loss and degradation as the primary problem facing species in greatest conservation need in Minnesota. It recommends a simple and direct approach to this problem: conserve key habitats used by Minnesota's SGCN in order to conserve the majority of Minnesota's wildlife. The partnership arrived at this approach over the course of an intense 30-month planning effort in consultation with a broad variety of conservation stakeholders. It is based on a series of analyses that examined the needs of all 292 SGCN and identified key habitats that benefit them. This analysis was conducted in each of Minnesota's 25 ecological subsections.
Three Goals of Tomorrow's Habitat
Tomorrow's Habitat has three goals to address the needs of Minnesota's species in greatest conservation need:
- Stabilize and increase populations of species in greatest conservation need populations
- Improve knowledge about species in greatest conservation need
- Enhance people's appreciation and enjoyment of species in greatest conservation need
What's Next: Operational Planning
The Department of Natural Resources, in partnership other conservation organizations, is turning attention to operational planning for Tomorrow's Habitat. A team of people will explore ways to support and incorporate the CWCS strategic vision and priority conservation actions into the ongoing operations of conservation organizations. The team will be asking how the vision and actions in Tomorrow's Habitat reflect existing priorities, and how they can be used to help shape future conservation priorities for these organizations. A very important aspect of operational planning will be to create a framework and commitment to long-term monitoring of species in greatest conservation need and key habitats.
Interested conservationists are encouraged to participate and support this new phase of planning for the Wild and Rare.
Questions?
Daren Carlson
Phone: 651-259-5079
E-mail: daren.carlson@dnr.state.mn.us
Brian Stenquist
Phone: 651-259-5144
E-mail: brian.stenquist@dnr.state.mn.us
Jane Norris
Phone: 651-259-5228
E-mail: jane.norris@dnr.state.mn.us
