State Wildlife Action Plan
The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish revised the Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy for New Mexico (CWCS) in both 2016 and 2025 and most recently produced the 2025 State Wildlife Action Plan for New Mexico. This revised and updated document is intended to serve as a guide for the Department and may help land management agencies, local governments, non-governmental organizations, private-sector project proponents, Tribes, and interested publics when identifying priorities and opportunities to conserve New Mexico’s wildlife.
Update 11-13-2025
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has approved the 2025 State Wildlife Action Plan for New Mexico as of 11-13-2025.
The State Wildlife Action Plan for New Mexico (SWAP) is part of a national initiative to conserve our nation’s fish and wildlife and prevent more species from becoming threatened or endangered. New Mexico’s SWAP is intended as a blueprint for conservation and catalogs current knowledge about native wildlife, threats to their habitats, and strategies to mitigate or manage those threats.
In the SWAP you can find:
- Detailed information on Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN) and their habitats;
- Threats, including climate change, and potential conservation actions based on habitats and ecoregions within the state;
- Conservation Opportunity Areas containing a high diversity of SGCN; conservation actions performed in these areas may be especially beneficial for SGCN; and
- Information on the ways in which SGCN are monitored
The SWAP is a state-wide plan that is comprehensive in scope and strategic in nature. The issues addressed and the actions outlined cross political, jurisdictional, and ecological boundaries. Commitment, coordination, and communication among the diverse parties involved in wildlife conservation in New Mexico are critical to the successful implementation of the SWAP.
To learn more about the key elements of the State Wildlife Action Plan, visit the online portal.
