SGCN

SPECIES OF GREATEST CONSERVATION NEED 

Oregon’s State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) identifies 320 Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN). Species of Greatest Conservation Need are defined as having small or declining populations, are at-risk, and/or are of management concern. Oregon’s SGCN include 18 amphibians, 63 birds, 35 mammals, 8 reptiles, 45 fish species (80 unique SMU/ESU/DPS/Groups), 71 invertebrates, and 80 plants and algae. Information on the special needs, limiting factors, data gaps, conservation actions, and available resources is listed for each of Oregon’s SGCN on profile pages of the SWAP website. 

SGCN are designated by ecoregion rather than at a statewide level. The ecoregions designated for each species represent the highest priorities for implementing conservation actions for individual species. Some species also occur in ecoregions outside of where they have been designated as an SGCN; however, conservation actions for these species are targeted towards specified ecoregions, where efforts will significantly contribute to the overall conservation success of the species. 

For information on how the SGCN list was developed, see Methods for Determining Strategy Species. For some species, not enough information was known to determine whether a species meets the conservation criteria to qualify as an SGCN. The SWAP  identifies these species as Species of Greatest Information Need (SGIN). 

Although the focus of this section is on SGCN and the actions needed to conserve them, it also takes a broader view of fish and wildlife conservation and includes information on naturally-occurring Fish and Wildlife Diseases and Animal Concentrations. 

The SGCN and SGIN lists are available for download in Excel table format. The downloadable SGCN table also contains information on the special needs, limiting factors, data gaps, conservation actions, and available resources for each SGCN. 

ODFW Top 5 Wildlife Priority SGCN List: In order to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of agency efforts to conserve SGCN, ODFW developed a Top 5 Wildlife Priority SGCN List for each ecoregion (excluding the Nearshore ecoregion). The intent of this list is to help direct and inform agency species conservation efforts, and is part of ODFW’s SWAP Implementation Plan. 

Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) Top 5 Plant Priority SGCN List (new document; insert link after web enabled): In order to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of efforts to conserve plants and algae, ODA developed a Top 5 Plant Priority SGCN List for each ecoregion. The intent of this list is to help direct and focus conservation efforts. The list was developed using the prioritization criteria for the 2017 Top 5 Wildlife Priority SGCN List adapted for plants and algae.