{"id":838877,"date":"2026-06-02T10:13:16","date_gmt":"2026-06-02T10:13:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/838877\/"},"modified":"2026-06-02T10:13:16","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T10:13:16","slug":"endangered-species-list-being-updated-help-protect-georgias-unique-wildlife","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/838877\/","title":{"rendered":"Endangered species list being updated: help protect Georgia\u2019s unique wildlife"},"content":{"rendered":"<p class=\"text | article-text\">GEORGIA. (WALB) &#8211; Georgia\u2019s list of protected animals is being updated for the first time in 20 years in 2026. The Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR) will make changes to the current list in June. <\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"figure-img img-fluid mx-auto d-block\" alt=\"Proposed for adding to Georgia's protected species list as threatened in 2026.\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/3ULM6I3IHFGIZFS5I6TII4U2WA.jpg\" width=\"980\" height=\"1369\" \/>Proposed for adding to Georgia&#8217;s protected species list as threatened in 2026.(Tim Keyes | Tim Keyes, GaDNR)<\/p>\n<p class=\"text | article-text\">GDNR is asking citizens to help update this list by adding or removing certain species from the current protected species list. Species can be protected at different levels, differing from plants to animals, according to DNR. <\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"figure-img img-fluid mx-auto d-block\" alt=\"Proposed for removal from Georgia's protected species list in 2026\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/HR3TZVWQURF47M7QJ7LC5FEC3Q.jpg\" width=\"980\" height=\"1470\" \/>Proposed for removal from Georgia&#8217;s protected species list in 2026(Brian Romm | Brian Romm\/GaDNR)<\/p>\n<p class=\"text | article-text\">New legislation in Georgia\u2019s 2025 Wildlife Action Plan will allow the changes to be made. Revisions to the protected species list can include:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"list | article-list\">\n<li>Adding and Removing species <\/li>\n<li>Updating names <\/li>\n<li>Syncing species with federal conservation lists <\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<blockquote class=\"blockquote | article-blockquote\">\n<p class=\"mb-2\">\u201cGiving the public an opportunity to review this list and provide input on things we may have missed will help ensure that we provide protected status for the species that are in the greatest need of conservation in our state.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p class=\"text | article-text\">Suggestions can be submitted <a href=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/forms\/d\/e\/1FAIpQLSf5yRm7DOYC8HpiYSbxvwmPqRgEQltvOx4o-QvMFqZ2NkXLuA\/viewform\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/docs.google.com\/forms\/d\/e\/1FAIpQLSf5yRm7DOYC8HpiYSbxvwmPqRgEQltvOx4o-QvMFqZ2NkXLuA\/viewform\">here <\/a>from June 1-30. Participants are asked to review the DNR proposed updates and Protected species list profiles, which include life history, habitat range, and management recommendations.<a href=\"https:\/\/georgiawildlife.com\/sites\/default\/files\/wrd\/pdf\/WCS\/protected%20species%20list_v5.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/georgiawildlife.com\/sites\/default\/files\/wrd\/pdf\/WCS\/protected%20species%20list_v5.pdf\"> Click here<\/a> to view that information. <\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"figure-img img-fluid mx-auto d-block\" alt=\"Proposed for adding to Georgia's protected species list as endangered in 2026.\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/ZZF4YQK3TJGVPJYS5A2PHNPQDI.jpg\" width=\"980\" height=\"1085\" \/>Proposed for adding to Georgia&#8217;s protected species list as endangered in 2026.(Katrina Morris | Katrina Morris, GaDNR)<\/p>\n<p class=\"text | article-text\">Nominations to add species can range from Endangered, Threatened, Rare, and unusual. DNR definitions for each ranking are listed below. <\/p>\n<p class=\"text | article-text\"><b>Endangered <\/b>species<b> <\/b>are defined<b> <\/b>as \u201cAny resident species that is in danger of extinction throughout all or a significant portion of its range, or one which is designated as endangered under the provisions of the federal Endangered Species Act of 1973<\/p>\n<p class=\"text | article-text\"><b>Threatened<\/b> Species are defined as \u201c Any resident species that is likely to become an endangered species within the foreseeable future throughout all or a significant portion of its range or one that is designated as threatened under the provisions of the federal Endangered Species Act of 1973.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"text | article-text\"><b>Rare<\/b> species are defined as \u201cAny resident species that, although not presently endangered or threatened as defined, should be protected because of its scarcity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"text | article-text\"><b>Unusual<\/b> species are defined as \u201cAny resident species that exhibits special or unique features and, because of these features, deserves special consideration in its continued survival in the state.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"text | article-text\">For Georgia\u2019s list of protected species, <a href=\"https:\/\/rules.sos.ga.gov\/gac\/391-4-10-.09\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\" title=\"https:\/\/rules.sos.ga.gov\/gac\/391-4-10-.09\">click here<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p class=\"text | article-text text-start\">Have a news tip or see an error that needs correction? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.walb.com\/2026\/06\/01\/endangered-species-list-being-updated-help-protect-georgias-unique-wildlife\/mailto:walb-digitalproducers@gray.tv\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer nofollow noopener\">Let us know.<\/a> Please include the article\u2019s headline in your message.<\/p>\n<p class=\"text | article-text text-start\">To stay up to date on all the latest news as it develops, follow WALB on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/WALBNews10\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer nofollow noopener\">Facebook<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/WALBNews10\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer nofollow noopener\">X (Twitter)<\/a>. For more South Georgia news, download the WALB News app from the <a href=\"https:\/\/apps.apple.com\/us\/app\/walb-news-10\/id449395459\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer nofollow noopener\">Apple Store<\/a> or <a href=\"https:\/\/play.google.com\/store\/search?q=walb+news+10+app&amp;c=apps&amp;hl=en_US&amp;gl=US\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer nofollow noopener\">Google Play<\/a>. <\/p>\n<p>Copyright 2026 WALB. All rights reserved.<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"GEORGIA. (WALB) &#8211; Georgia\u2019s list of protected animals is being updated for the first time in 20 years&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":838878,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[23],"tags":[3032,4363,9562,343700,746,4353,188603,343705,343706,343702,343703,3041,50,343699,77127,159,2904,67,132,68,343704,343701],"class_list":["post-838877","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-environment","tag-department-of-natural-resources","tag-dnr","tag-endangered-species","tag-endangered-species-list","tag-environment","tag-georgia","tag-georgia-news","tag-georgia-news-today","tag-georgia-wildlife-news","tag-georgias-list-of-endangered-species","tag-how-does-an-animal-become-endangered","tag-natural-resources","tag-news","tag-protect-wildlife","tag-protected-species","tag-science","tag-threatened-species","tag-united-states","tag-unitedstates","tag-us","tag-walb","tag-what-species-are-endangered"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/838877","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=838877"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/838877\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/838878"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=838877"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=838877"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=838877"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}