Wildlife Habitat Assessment Program: Pre-project Planning

In the planning phase of project assessment, information regarding sensitive natural resources may be obtained from the following TPWD sources. TPWD recommends project developers use at least the following sources of information when analyzing a project for impacts to sensitive resources.

• Rare, Threatened, and Endangered Species of Texas by County: TPWD maintains annotated county lists of rare, threatened, and endangered species that are known to occur or potentially occur in Texas. County lists can be accessed online (Rare, Threatened, and Endangered Species of Texas by County) or by contacting our administrative staff at (512) 389-4571. Species included on these lists with no federal or state listing status currently have no regulatory protection but are considered to be species of conservation concern. TPWD tracks the species on these county lists and actively promotes their conservation to prevent future endangerment. TPWD recommends that impacts to all species on the county lists, including those with no regulatory protection, be evaluated for potential impacts. Correct use and interpretation of the county level lists are the responsibility of the recipient.

• Texas Natural Diversity Database (TXNDD): The TXNDD is publicly available location-specific data on rare, threatened, and endangered species, natural communities and other significant features of conservation concern to TPWD. To obtain TXNDD information please submit a data request to TexasNatural.DiversityDatabase@tpwd.texas.gov. For guidance regarding submission of a TXNDD information request and for an explanation of types of data received through such a request, visit TXNDD. Responses generally take approximately five business days from receipt of the request. Correct use and interpretation of TXNDD data are the responsibility of the recipient. The TXNDD does not provide a project review and is not a substitute for a TPWD Wildlife Habitat Assessment (WHAB) Program review of environmental documentation. More information on WHAB project review can be found here.

• Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Data: The TPWD GIS lab maintains a large quantity of geographic information on the natural resources of Texas. GIS files are available for download from the TPWD GIS Lab. Available files include the locations of water resources, ecoregions and biologic provinces, general vegetation types (including the Vegetation Types of Texas), state parks, Ecologically Significant Stream Segments, and many other important features that may require consideration in your project assessment. A detailed land classification map known as the Texas Ecological Systems Classification Project is being developed by the TPWD GIS lab and several partners.