Conservation Status Overview
Currently 84 species of wildlife are considered to be endangered or threatened with extinction in New Jersey. Being listed with this status helps garner protection for these species.
Piping plovers breed on barrier islands and beaches from Sandy Hook to Cape May. © Northside Jim
Status Listing for Wildlife in New Jersey
The list of New Jersey's endangered and threatened nongame wildlife species are maintained by the Division of Fish and Wildlife's Endangered and Nongame Species Program. These lists are used to determine protection and management actions necessary to ensure the survival of the state's endangered and nongame wildlife.
Endangered:
Applies to a species whose prospects for survival within the state are in immediate danger due to one or several factors, such as loss or degradation of habitat, over-exploitation, predation, competition, disease or environmental pollution, etc. An endangered species likely requires immediate action to avoid extinction within NJ.
Threatened:
Applies to species that may become endangered if conditions surrounding it begin to or continue to deteriorate. Thus, a threatened species is one that is already vulnerable as a result of, for example, small population size, restricted range, narrow habitat affinities, significant population decline, etc.
Special Concern:
The term Species of Special Concern applies to species that warrant special attention because of some evidence of decline, inherent vulnerability to environmental deterioration, or habitat modification that would result in their becoming a Threatened species. This category would also be applied to species that meet the foregoing criteria and for which there is little understanding of their current population status in the state.
Other Classification:
This “status” is comprised of species which do not fall into the categories of Endangered, Threatened, or Special Concern within the state of New Jersey. This includes species designated by New Jersey’s Division of Fish & Wildlife as being one of the following:
- Stable - Applies to species that appear to be secure in NJ and not in any immediately foreseeable danger of becoming Endangered, Threatened, or Special Concern.
- Undetermined/Unknown - Applies to species that cannot be assigned a status of Endangered, Threatened, Special Concern or secure-stable because not enough information exists on which to base a judgment.
- Not Ranked - State conservation status not yet assessed.
- Not Applicable - The species does not occur in New Jersey with regularity or predictability or is not native to the state.
- Game - A status review has been completed during which an imperiled status of Endangered, Threatened, or Special Concern was recommended; but because the species is considered a game species (the hunting season may or may not be closed), it does not receive an official imperiled designation. Examples within this category include the Dusky Shark, King Rail, and Northern Bobwhite.
Please note that there are thousands of species which fall into this catch-all classification category which are not profiled within Conserve Wildlife Foundation’s on-line field guide.
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