Recovering America's Wildlife Act

While the American System of Conservation Funding (ASCF) remains the benchmark for conservation funding models around the world, it has become clear that state fish and wildlife agencies require more resources than sportsmen and women can provide through the ASCF. Through the creation of State Wildlife Action Plans (SWAPs) which are essentially conservation roadmaps for each state’s Species of Greatest Conservation Need (SGCN), state fish and wildlife management agencies have identified strategies needed to meet critical conservation objectives. 

Within SWAPs, sections devoted to climate resiliency for SGCN are being drafted by nearly every state as more attention is paid to the relationship between the climate and the successful conservation of these species. To provide the resources needed to fund conservation efforts outlined in each SWAP, Congress has reintroduced the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act (RAWA). RAWA seeks to provide nearly $1.4 billion/year for state and tribal fish and wildlife agencies as a complement to the ASCF to fully implement SWAPs. ​