California species of special concern

"Species of special concern" is a protective legal designation assigned by the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) to wildlife species that are at risk. It is often abbreviated as SSC or CSC.

A Species of Special Concern is a species, subspecies, or distinct population of an animal native to California that currently satisfies one or more of the following (not necessarily mutually exclusive) criteria:

"Species of Special Concern" status applies to animals not listed under the federal Endangered Species Act or the California Endangered Species Act, but which nonetheless (1) are declining at a rate that could result in listing, or (2) historically occurred in low numbers and known threats to their persistence currently exist. SSC share one or more of the following criteria:

These are species that are not endangered or threatened, but their population number is in special concern of wildlife foundations.

This designation is intended to result in special consideration for these animals by the Department, land managers, consulting biologists, and others, and is intended to focus attention on the species to help avert the need for costly listing under federal and State endangered species laws and cumbersome recovery efforts that might ultimately be required. This designation also is intended to stimulate collection of additional information on the biology, distribution, and status of poorly known at-risk species, and focus research and management attention on them.

Department staff should consider SSCs during (1) the environmental review process, (2) conservation planning process, (3) the preparation of management plans for Department lands, and (4) inventories, surveys, and monitoring (conducted either by the Department or others with whom we are cooperating).

The Habitat Conservation Planning Branch (HCPB) is responsible for producing and periodically updating SSC publications that provide the following information: description of the animal, taxonomic remarks, distribution (text description), life history, habitat, status, management recommendations, and a range and/or distribution map. Publications currently exist based on the following taxonomic groups: mammals (1986, new version due 2001), birds (1978, new version due 2001), amphibians and reptiles (1994), and fishes (1995). These publications are updated periodically as staff and funding allow. Publications are typically produced by a contractor knowledgeable about the species groups. The contractor's draft publication is reviewed by Department regional and headquarters staff, as well as by the contractor's peers, other agencies, and other biologists, as appropriate. Final publication of an SSC document requires approval of the Director.

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