© Louis Vest (LandScope Texas Banner)
TCAP Species of Greatest Conservation Need
© USFWS Swift fox photo
Along with those species that have been afforded legal protection (Federal/State Listed Species) due to risk of extinction, Texas also contains more than 1,300 species that are considered to be Species of Greatest Conservation Need. These are species that, due to limited distributions and/or declining populations, face the threat of extirpation or extinction but lack legal protection.
Follow the link below for lists of species described in Texas Parks and Wildlife Department's revised Texas Conservation Action Plan. Species are ranked using a conservation status system established by NatureServe. Each species and plant community possesses a global (range-wide) and state rank based on their respective rarity. The conservation status of a species is designated by a number from one to five, preceded by a letter reflecting the appropriate geographic scale (G=Global, S=State). Numbers have the following meaning: 1) Critically imperiled, 2) Imperiled, 3) Vulnerable, 4) Apparently secure, and 5) Secure.
Click here to download listings of Species of Greatest Conservation Need