Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Launches First All-Digital State Wildlife Action Plan in the Nation

Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Launches First All-Digital State Wildlife Action Plan in the Nation

March 26, 2026

Media Contact: TPWD News, Business Hours, 512-389-8030

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The modernized action plan is available online and optimized for use by most devices

AUSTIN- Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD) has launched the nation's first all-digital State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP). The SWAP is Texas' statewide conservation roadmap for Species of Greatest Conservation Need and their habitats.

Maintaining an approved SWAP keeps Texas eligible for about $3 million annually in federal State and Tribal Wildlife Grants, which support conservation research and on-the-ground actions in communities across the state through university and conservation partners.

"We are so excited to debut the country's first all-digital State Wildlife Action Plan," said Kelly Simon, State Wildlife Action Plan Coordinator for TPWD. "Our hope is that making the plan accessible through an intuitive webpage will encourage Texans to utilize this tool and make it easy for them to find what they need, understand priorities and take the next step. The SWAP is Texas' conservation roadmap for rare and declining wildlife, and the web tool makes that roadmap practical and accessible, whether you're staff, a partner, or a member of the public."

The update to the SWAP modernizes and improves usability, transparency and public access. The public-facing web tool allows Texans to explore conservation priorities for rare and declining wildlife and the habitats they rely on. The web page is optimized for use by most devices, which allows users to navigate seamlessly through the plan. Users can also narrow down their search through several categories including taxonomic group (birds, amphibians, reptiles, etc.), by federal and state protection status, and habitat type, just to name a few.

"We built this to be a working system, not a once-a-decade document," added Simon. "Partners and Texans can contribute information year-round, and staff will review it so the plan can stay current. If you manage land, teach students, do research, or just care about wildlife, this gives you a straightforward way to see what species need and what actions can help."

The online plan also links species information to threats, recommended conservation actions and monitoring considerations. Additionally, it includes science-based decision-support tools such as Knowledge Gap Analysis and Conservation Opportunity Areas, which help clarify priorities and identify where conservation actions can have the best chance of success.

"Conservation dollars are limited, and Texas has incredible natural heritage, so this tool helps us be transparent about importances and tradeoffs, and the logic we used to set priorities," said Simon. "The Knowledge Gap Analysis helps us answer a basic question: do we need more targeted research or are we ready to move into on-the-ground conservation action. It's a way to focus effort where it can matter most. Conservation Opportunity Areas help with the 'where' question. They highlight places where conservation work has a strong chance of success, and they help with project planning and site selection."

The SWAP is designed for broad use by landowners, land managers, students, researchers, conservation partners, and the public. It also supports year-round participation through features that allow partners and Texans to contribute field-based insights.

Anyone can submit Nature Notes without creating an account, and researchers and conservation partners may request Partner Access to contribute more directly through the SWAP Workbench.

"What success looks like for me is pretty simple," said Simon. "If this helps people design better projects, target effort more effectively, and improve outcomes for species over time, then it's doing its job."

To explore the Texas SWAP online, visit https://www.txswap.org.