These plans outline the steps that are needed to conserve wildlife and habitat before they become more rare and costly to protect.  Taken together, they present a national action agenda for preventing wildlife from becoming endangered.

In order to receive funds through the Wildlife Conservation and Restoration Program and the State Wildlife Grants Program, congress charged each state and territory with developing a wildlife action plan. Although very much the State’s plan, it is the Wildlife Diversity Program within Fish and Game that has the primary responsibility for revising and implementing the Idaho SWAP.

The Idaho Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy provides a framework for conserving 229 "species of greatest conservation need" and the habitats upon which they depend. It is the state’s guiding document for managing and conserving at-risk species, most of which are not hunted, trapped, or fished. An integrated approach to implementing this strategy across all Fish and Game programs will reduce potential listings under the Endangered Species Act.

The Idaho Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy (CWCS) was submitted to the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service for review on September 30, 2005 and was accepted by the Service in February 2006.

• Recommended Citation
• Foreword by J. Michael Scott
• Executive Summary
• Acknowledgments
• Introduction and Purpose
• Approach and Methods
• State Overview
• Ecological Section Conservation Priorities
  • Okanogan Highlands
  • Flathead Valley
  • Bitterroot Mountains
  • Blue Mountains
  • Idaho Batholith
  • Challis Volcanics
  • Beaverhead Mountains
  • Palouse Prairie
  • Owyhee Uplands
  • Snake River Basalts
  • Northwestern Basin and Range
  • Overthrust Mountains
  • Yellowstone Highlands
  • Bear Lake
• Monitoring and Adaptive Management
• Strategy Review and Revision
• Glossary
• Literature Cited
• Appendix A: Common and Scientific Names for Fish and Wildlife Species Found in Idaho
• Appendix B: Idaho Species of Greatest Conservation Need
• Appendix C: NatureServe Conservation Status Assessment Criteria
• Appendix D: Heritage Conservation Status for Species: A Possible Rule-& Point-based Process for Status Assignment
• Appendix E: Description of Ecological Systems of Idaho
• Appendix F: Species Accounts and Distribution Maps for Idaho Species of Greatest Conservation Need
• Appendix G: Common and Scientific Names of Plant Species that Appear in the Text
• Appendix H: Idaho Important Bird Areas (IBA) Program