State and Tribal Wildlife Grants
The State and Tribal Wildlife Grants Program (SWG) provides federal funding to the states for conservation of nongame species and their habitat. The goal of the program is to prevent these species from being listed as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. This important program supports conservation of species that are not hunted or fished, many of which had no previous source of conservation funding. In addition, the program’s focus on proactive conservation measures designed to halt or prevent population declines is key, as conservation is often more effective and efficient before species undergo declines sufficient to warrant ESA action.
Wildlife Action Plan
As a condition for receiving SWG funds, each state fish and wildlife agency is required to develop a State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) to establish research needs and conservation actions and guide the use of program funds for 10 years. Initially approved in 2005, LDWF’s SWAP created a roadmap for nongame conservation in the state. LDWF designed the plan to be a living document that would change as conservation priorities shift or as new threats to Louisiana’s wildlife are identified. As required by the program, LDWF reviewed and revised the plan in 2015 to ensure that it remains an effective tool for conservation planning and implementation.
The draft of the revised 2025 SWAP is now available for public comment. Please provide comments in the excel spreadsheet and send to sklueh-mundy@wlf.la.gov by 17 September 2025.
View/download the 2015 SWAP by section
- SWAP Inside Cover (PDF)
- SWAP Executive Summary (PDF)
- SWAP Acknowledgements (PDF)
- SWAP Table of Contents (PDF)
- SWAP List of Tables (PDF)
- SWAP List of Figures (PDF)
- SWAP Roadmap (PDF)
- SWAP List of Acronyms (PDF)
- SWAP Summary of Changes (PDF)
- SWAP Chapter 1: Introduction (PDF)
- SWAP Chapter 2: State Overview (PDF)
- SWAP Chapter 3: Approach (PDF)
- SWAP Chapter 4: Species of Greatest Conservation Need (PDF)
- SWAP Chapter 5: Habitat Conservation (PDF)
- SWAP Chapter 6: Invasive Species (PDF)
- SWAP Chapter 7: Climate Change (PDF)
- SWAP Chapter 8: Conservation Opportunity Areas (PDF)
- SWAP Chapter 9: Research and Monitoring (PDF)
- SWAP References (PDF)
- SWAP Appendix A: Past and Current SWG Projects (PDF)
- SWAP Appendix B: 2005 Approach (PDF)
- SWAP Appendix C: Wildlife Action Plan Committees (PDF)
- SWAP Appendix D: External Partners List (PDF)
- SWAP Appendix E: Technical Experts (PDF)
- SWAP Appendix F: Louisiana Habitat List (PDF)
- SWAP Appendix G: Habitats Arranged in Tiers According to Prioritization Score (PDF)
- SWAP Appendix H: 1st, 2nd, and Selected 3rd Level Threats (PDF)
- SWAP Appendix I: SGCN List (PDF)
- SWAP Appendix J: Habitat Crosswalk with Macrogroups and Groups of the National Vegetation Classification System (NVCS) (PDF)
- SWAP Appendix K: CCVI Scores for Representative SGCN (PDF)
- SWAP Appendix L: Wildlife TRACS Actions and Outputs (PDF)
- SWAP Appendix M: Explanation of Conservation Status and Threats Rankings (PDF)
Funding
This program is funded through annual Congressional appropriations. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service apportions funds to state fish and wildlife agencies based on the land area and population of each state. Since the program’s inception in 2001, Louisiana has received more than $16 million in federal funding. This funding can be used to implement the state’s SWAP or for planning purposes to modify, revise, or update the SWAP.
Apply for a Grant
LDWF accepts proposals for State and Tribal Wildlife Grants every spring. This includes grant proposals developed by LDWF personnel, nongovernmental organizations, and universities.
LDWF’s SWG Committee reviews grant proposals.
Projects
To date, Louisiana has funded more than 150 projects through this program, including:
- Biological inventories
- Ecological research projects
- Habitat assessments
- Habitat management
- Development and maintenance of databases.
These projects have benefitted numerous species in Louisiana:
- Louisiana black bear
- Bald eagle
- Whooping crane
- Swallow-tailed kite
- Alligator snapping turtle
- Mississippi diamond-backed terrapin
- Calcasieu painted crawfish
- Louisiana pearlshell mussel
- Painted bunting.
Publications
Research funded by the program has resulted in over 50 peer-reviewed publications, adding considerably to the body of scientific knowledge regarding Louisiana’s rare species.