Strategy Species

The Conservation Strategy identifies 294 Strategy Species, which are Oregon’s “Species of Greatest Conservation Need”. Strategy Species are defined as having small or declining populations, are at-risk, and/or are of management concern. Oregon’s Strategy Species include 17 amphibians, 58 birds, 29 mammals, 5 reptiles, 60 fish, 62 invertebrates, and 63 plants and algae. Information on the Special Needs, Limiting Factors, Data Gaps, Conservation Actions, and available resources are listed for each of Oregon’s Strategy Species.

Strategy Species are designated by ecoregion, based on conservation need and opportunities, 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 occur in ecoregions other than where they are designated as a Strategy Species; conservation actions implemented in these ecoregion(s) will also contribute to the overall conservation success for the species.

Although efforts were made to standardize the conservation criteria used to determine Strategy Species, some variation exists between taxa. For more information, 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 a Strategy Species. The Conservation Strategy identifies these species as Data Gap Species.

The Strategy Species and Data Gap Species lists are available for download in Excel table format: Download the Oregon Conservation Strategy. You can also find it by clicking on the information symbol at the top right-hand corner of the screen.
ODFW Top 5 Wildlife Priority Strategy Species List: In order to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of agency efforts to conserve Strategy Species, the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife developed a Top 5 Wildlife Priority Strategy Species 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 OCS Implementation Plan.

Although the focus of this section is on the requirements of Strategy Species 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.